Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized a vital port city in Yemen in a move that could further disrupt world oil supplies already squeezed by Donald Trump’s catastrophic war on Iran.
The militant group, which has been fighting a civil war against Yemen’s Saudi Arabia-backed government for years, took control of the coastal city of Mocha on Thursday in a stunning defeat for Saudi forces, sources told Reuters.
Houthi fighters are now edging closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial shipping route in the Red Sea that Saudi Arabia relies heavily on for its oil exports. The strait lies on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.
If the Iranian-backed rebels were to take control of the Bab al-Mandab, it would give Tehran huge leverage over the U.S., as Iran has already largely closed off the Strait of Hormuz—through which about a fifth of world oil supplies pass—in retaliation for American attacks.
The Houthis’ growing influence over the Iran war could prove particularly embarrassing for the 80-year-old president. Last March, Trump vowed that the Houthis would be “completely annihilated” unless Iran stopped supporting them.
The threat came as Trump was ordering airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, attacks that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inadvertently revealed to Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg during the “Singalgate” controversy.
The rebels’ takeover of Mocha occurred the same day Trump admitted that the now-six-month war in Iran may not be over until after November’s midterms. Trump suggested Iran is holding out on negotiating a peace deal, knowing that the deeply unpopular conflict is politically damaging to the president amid soaring gas prices in the U.S.
“I think the war’s going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said. “They are desperate to try and affect the election, so we can get a nice group of weak people in there, and leave them alone, and let them have their nuclear weapon.”
Video has also emerged appearing to show Houthi fighters seizing a U.S. made Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP) being used during the Yemen civil war.
“I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the American taxpayer for their generous and apparently ongoing sponsorship of Ansar’s expanding toy collection,” one Yemeni social media user wrote while sharing a clip of a Houthi fighter on a MRAP. “Your contributions are greatly appreciated.”
It has also been reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman twice called Trump on Thursday to ask the U.S. to launch airstrikes against the Houthis as they close in on the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Trump declined to offer help, and U.S. officials said they have no intention of getting involved with the Houthis for now, Axios reported.
“The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests—such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea—while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges,” a senior Trump administration official told the outlet.
“We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen Government regarding regional stability,” the official added.
