Earlier this month, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen routed pro-government forces in a lightning offensive that caught Saudi Arabia and the United States by surprise. The small island of Perim and the port city of Mokha are now under Houthi control, giving the group an advantageous position over the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Saudis have used Bab al-Mandab to export crude oil to global markets without having to traverse the Strait of Hormuz that is still blocked by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Then, over the weekend, the Houthis reportedly targeted the Saudi capital of Riyadh in a series of missile strikes.
Last night, the British Government announced it would provide military support for Saudi Arabia in response to the attacks. But as Prime Minister Andy Burnham meets Donald Trump in New York later today, the US President has so far avoided getting involved. On Sunday, the New York Times reported, US bombers were fully loaded and prepared to strike Houthi targets, only for Trump to change his mind at the last minute and pull back from an attack.
The Saudis will undoubtedly view this news with disappointment, if not contempt. With Iran and its proxies now effectively controlling two of the Middle East’s most important energy chokepoints—and with Iranian-sponsored Iraqi militias damaging the oil-rich monarchy’s key East-West pipeline earlier in the month—Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scrambling for a way to escape a vise that is becoming ever tighter. But as much as Trump’s overall policy in the Middle East has been botched by his unnecessary war with Iran, he’s right to think twice before launching another war against the Houthis.
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