Saudi Crown Prince Sought U.S. Military Help from Trump with Houthis, Sources Say
By Samia Nakhoul and Humeyra Pamuk
Fri, September 11, 2026 at 2:24 PM UTC
2 min read
Two sources familiar with the matter revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reached out to President Donald Trump on Thursday for assistance in combating Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.
Trump engaged in at least two phone conversations with the Saudi leader, ultimately informing Riyadh that direct military action from Washington wasn’t imminent but they could expect support with intelligence sharing and targeting.
The White House declined to comment immediately, while the Saudi embassy in Washington chose not to respond to requests for a statement.
News of the request broke initially via Axios.
A Shift in Strategy
This appeal marks a shift from Saudi Arabia’s previous stance, where they insisted on fighting the Houthis independently and urged the U.S. to intensify economic pressure on Iran.
The escalating conflict dates back to July when the Houthis claimed to have confronted Saudi "warplanes" attempting to stop an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing in Sanaa International Airport.
The situation intensified with the U.S. and Israel targeting Iran in February, leading to Iranian retaliation against Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases. These conflicts resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of displacements.
Global Impact
Trump’s ongoing war with Iran has entered its seventh month without a resolution. This conflict has contributed to rising global oil and U.S. gasoline prices, negatively impacting the president’s approval ratings ahead of the November midterm elections.
(Reporting by Samia Nakhoul in Istanbul and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; additional reporting by Bipasha Dey; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
