Trump faces dilemma over Saudi military assistance request
After consecutive calls from Muhammad bin Salman, President Trump hesitated for a long time. However, he decided not to join the war against the Houthis in Yemen together with Saudi Arabia.
Trump found himself in a difficult situation due to Saudi Arabia's request for military assistance
As the US and Israel's war against Iran continues, Washington faced another difficult question. This question has been troubling US President Donald Trump for the past two weeks: whether to agree to Saudi Arabia's requests and order the US military to strike Houthi-controlled targets?
Such a decision could open another front in the war against Iran, which supports the Houthis. Meanwhile, Trump has been unable to end the war for more than half a year, which he himself started and which has been dealing a blow to the entire global economy.
Trump has hesitated for several weeks regarding Saudi Arabia's appeals for help in the fight against the Houthis.
On Thursday, September 17, the situation escalated further. US administration officials told the publication that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the president. The de facto leader of the kingdom and a key US ally in the war with Iran, the prince once again asked Trump to intervene to help slow down the rapidly advancing Houthi offensive.
Trump had met with his advisers the day before and told them he was not in favor of launching strikes. However, after the conversation with the crown prince, he changed his mind and ordered the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes.
However, by Sunday afternoon, the president seemed to have changed his mind again, the Times writes. According to White House officials who spoke to the publication, the US will not conduct airstrikes against the Houthis. At least for now. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss military plans.
The White House press service officially declined to comment on Trump's decision-making process. One senior administration official only said: "The US has a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we always protect our allies."
According to another high-ranking source in the administration, most of those in the president's inner circle were skeptical of or openly opposed to joining Saudi Arabia's war against the Houthis. The main reason for this was the pressure the US military was already facing in the war with Iran.