Trump says Houthis have asked US not to intervene in Yemen

On Saturday, United States President Donald Trump informed reporters that the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi fighters, who recently seized control of the crucial Red Sea shipping corridor, have requested Washington not to intervene in their conflict. The Houthis have taken over Yemen's entire Red Sea coast after capturing three strategic islands in a swift offensive.

Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil exporter, has depended on this region since Iran's blockade of the Hormuz Strait disrupted its shipments through the Gulf. Trump, while visiting Dublin, Ireland, claimed that the Houthi leaders had called him and expressed their desire to avoid conflict with the United States, adding that "everything's gonna work out fine and dandy" in the region.

He also mentioned having spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he described as a "friend," though Axios reported that the Saudi prince had called Trump twice on Thursday to request US strikes on the Houthis, which were rejected by the American president.

Yemeni government forces, meanwhile, announced on Saturday that they had struck Houthi fighters in the strategic Red Sea city of Mocha. The Houthi group has now captured the city, along with Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, after seizing three strategic islands in a rapid offensive. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, had relied on this area since Iran's blockade of the Hormuz Strait cut off its shipments through the Gulf.

The Yemeni government forces reported destroying vehicles and weapons, as well as killing members of the Houthi terrorist militia backed by the Iranian regime, near the port of Mocha. The spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, also stated that they had launched shelling in Mocha and called on citizens to avoid using the Taiz-Mocha and Mocha-Dhubab roads.

The Houthi seizure of Mocha on Thursday caused many residents to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based. The Houthi offensive, which began last week, has resulted in over 500 casualties and displaced approximately 46,000 people, according to sources on both sides. This conflict is part of the ongoing civil war in Yemen, which began with the group's takeover of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.