Trump says no after Saudi crown prince pushes for US strikes on Houthis: report

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made two phone calls to President Donald Trump on Thursday, pressing him to execute military strikes targeting Houthi forces, according to an Axios report citing two American officials.

Trump turned down the request, with U.S. officials stating the administration currently has no intention of taking direct military action against the Houthis.

Neither the White House nor the Saudi embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment outside standard business hours, and the details could not be independently verified.

According to the report, Washington is increasingly concerned about the rapidly intensifying conflict in Yemen and is bolstering support for Saudi Arabia while seeking to avoid direct military involvement.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for urgent coordination talks.

American military and civilian officials have informed their Saudi counterparts in recent weeks that Trump's mandate is to keep U.S. forces focused on Iran and safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, rather than opening another military front.

The diplomatic push follows reports earlier in July that Saudi Arabia is attempting to build an international coalition to shield Red Sea shipping lanes from Houthi strikes amid rising regional instability.

Tensions escalated in early July after Houthi forces claimed to have confronted Saudi "warplanes" that were trying to block an Iranian civilian flight from landing at Sanaa International Airport.

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