ERBIL () - President Donald Trump reversed himself twice over the question of striking Houthi targets in Yemen, ultimately deciding by midday Sunday not to join Saudi Arabia in strikes against the Iran-backed group for now, the New York Times reported citing administration officials, in a decision that reflects the acute strategic dilemma Washington faces between its obligations to a key Gulf ally and the limits of its military bandwidth in the seventh month of the Iran war.
The decision came after two weeks of Saudi pleading and a particularly intense episode on Thursday, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump personally to implore him to help blunt the rapidly advancing Houthi forces. Trump had met with advisers just the day before and told them he did not favor strikes. But after speaking with MBS, he reversed himself and told the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes against the Houthis. By midday Sunday, he had reversed himself again. There would be no US airstrikes against the Houthis, at least not for the time being.
Administration officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss military planning. The White House press office declined to discuss Trump's deliberations for the record. A senior administration official would say only that "the US has a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and we will always defend our allies."
Most of Trump's inner circle was either deeply skeptical or outright opposed to joining the Saudi fight against the Houthis, especially given the existing strains facing the US military in the war with Iran, according to a senior administration official. The concern is that striking Houthi targets in Yemen would open another front in a conflict that Trump started but has been unable to end, as it continues to spread economic shock around the globe with Brent crude above $100 a barrel and diesel prices in the United States above $6 a gallon.
The strategic dilemma is acute. Saudi Arabia is one of Washington's most important partners in the Iran war, having participated in joint strikes on Iranian proxy targets in eastern Iraq, absorbed drone and missile attacks on its energy infrastructure, and cooperated with Operation Economic Outcast. Refusing to help Saudi Arabia against the Houthis risks alienating a key Gulf partner at the worst possible moment. But joining Saudi Arabia against the Houthis risks widening a conflict that the US military is already straining to sustain, with the Pentagon having polygraphed 50 officers over leaked reports of munitions shortfalls and Defense Secretary Hegseth having held no Iran war press briefing since May 5.
The Houthis took advantage of the instability generated by the broader US-Iran war to reignite their conflict with Saudi Arabia this summer. They captured the port of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, struck Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline with drones launched from Iraq on September 10, and fired a ballistic missile toward Riyadh that was intercepted on Saturday morning. MBS called Trump twice on September 10 and again on Thursday, each time failing to secure American strike commitments, and Trump told the Pentagon to prepare strikes after Thursday's call before walking that back by Sunday.
The decision not to strike for now does not foreclose the option. Trump said Friday that he is talking to the Houthis and that they want to know whether a deal can be reached. A diplomatic track and a military threat are being held in parallel, as they have been throughout the conflict, with the threat of imminent action used as leverage even when the action itself is deferred.
