Trump Warns Houthis Over Saudi Attacks, Says He May Ask Turkish President Erdogan to Intervene in Yemen

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) warned Yemen’s Houthi rebels over their attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Declining to confirm whether he had decided to strike the group, he said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “will do as I ask” if Washington seeks Turkiye’s involvement, as regional tensions continued to escalate.

Addressing reporters before departing for a campaign in Alaska, Trump called the Houthis’ actions “very bad” when asked whether he had decided on military action against the group. “They're behaving very badly,” Trump said.

Asked what he intended to do about the Houthis, he replied, “I mean, if I told you I made a decision, the Houthis have acted very badly.”

Trump also indicated that he might ask Erdogan to become involved in efforts concerning Yemen.

“I might do it. He's a great friend of mine, as you know, and I might do that. I have a lot of respect for the president of Turkey,” Trump said when asked whether he was seeking Turkiye’s participation in operations in Yemen.

“President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask,” he added.

Trump also addressed Iran, calling it a “failed country” and indicating that Washington would decide its next steps soon.

“Well, Iran is a failed country. They have no economy, they have 300 per cent inflation, they have no money. They're not paying their troops, they're not paying anybody. We'll make a decision on Iran very soon,” Trump said.

When asked about oil, he added, “We have control of the Hormuz Strait, and a lot of oil is coming out of the Hormuz.”

The remarks came amid heightened tensions following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and threats against the kingdom’s energy infrastructure.

On Wednesday (local time), Al Jazeera reported, quoting the Saudi Civil Defence, that four people were injured and 15 residential properties were damaged by debris while two cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy also said that a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Dhahran was attacked and caught fire.

Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree had declared Saudi Aramco facilities “a legitimate target” and urged employees and civilians near the installations to evacuate.

Saree issued a warning to “all employees and citizens present near any facility affiliated with Aramco Oil”, according to the group's statement.

The Houthis also warned Riyadh against attacking Sanaa, threatening retaliation against the Saudi capital.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces warn the Saudi enemy that any targeting of the capital, Sanaa, will be met with a tough and painful response in the enemy's capital of Riyadh,” Saree said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, on Monday, amid the escalating hostilities, Iran had expressed its readiness to help resolve the conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen through dialogue.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran remained concerned about regional developments and was willing to use diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue between the parties.

“Our request is that this situation be truly resolved through dialogue and interaction. As I said, such a situation is definitely not in the best interest of the Islamic Ummah and our region,” Baghaei said during a press briefing while responding to a question about Yemen. 

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