Washington appears loath to step into another front as new oil disruptions send prices soaring. Yemeni civilians celebrate while riding in the back of a pickup truck in the Bani Matar district, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, as they follow a convoy carrying Houthi prisoners freed in Mokha on its way to Sanaa following the Houthi takeover of the southern Red Sea port city. | AP The Trump administration is running out of good options in the Middle East after Iranian-backed Houthi militants seized more strategic territory — and further squeezed world energy markets. The administration could join the fray after Yemeni forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, failed to repel the Houthis’ capture of the Red Sea port of Mokha and three islands key to controlling the waterway.
Or the White House could leave the region to sort out the Houthis alone, and bear the pain of oil prices that spiraled up to $109 a barrel Monday. The spike was caused by both the choking of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait passageway to the Red Sea and the closure of a critical Saudi Arabian oil pipeline following an attack Riyadh blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Neither policy choice for the U.S. is terribly appealing, and one Arab diplomat in the region sensed inaction from the U.S., or “a kind of disregard.” “They feel they don’t want to go into any conflict in the region besides Iran despite the fact it is a strategic setback to the U.S.,” added the diplomat, who, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues.
In response to questions on the Houthi attack, a senior administration official sent POLITICO talking points it had first sent in mid-August, before the current escalation. The recycled statement also mentioned the U.S. expects the Houthis to observe the terms of a ceasefire reached last year that saw the rebel group agree to stop attacking American ships in exchange for the U.S. ending a bombing campaign against the Houthis that had hit at least 800 targets in Yemen. Vice President JD Vance told reporters Monday “we’ve been in constant contact with the Emiratis, the Saudis and others who are affected in the region,” and added “we’ve also been engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis themselves.” Officially, the U.S. maintains its strong military ties with Saudi Arabia.
Brad Cooper met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Monday in Jeddah, according to Saudi state media. The two discussed “regional security cooperation,” according to CENTCOM public affairs. But the appetite for more warfare seems limited throughout Washington.
Todd Young (R-Ind.), a member of SFRC, said, “It is vital that the United States and our regional allies work together to maintain an open flow of trade through Middle East shipping lanes.” He didn’t answer whether the U.S. should get involved in strikes against the Houthis. The tepid response in Washington may also stem from whiplash after the Houthis made dramatic advances in a matter of hours, evading both Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and the Saudi and U.S. militaries. One exasperated person in the region called it “a Saudi-American f**k up of epic proportions,” CNN‘s Nic Robertson and Lauren Kent reported.
The White House and Saudi Arabia’s embassy didn’t immediately confirm an Axios report that MBS asked the U.S. for help in striking the Houthis. Yemen’s embassy also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Arab diplomat said that Yemen has asked the U.S. to restart its support of Yemen’s armed forces and humanitarian programs.
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