As attacks choke off Saudi oil, kingdom confronts limits of Trump's friendship

 As Iran seeks leverage against the United States and its Middle Eastern allies, Saudi Arabia is facing a moment of extraordinary pressure. Iran-backed proxies in Iraq and Yemen have carried out debilitating strikes on its most important oil pipeline, attacked its military bases and energy infrastructure and gained critical territory along the Red Sea in an offensive against the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen that could fully choke off oil exports.

President Donald Trump, contending with soaring gas and diesel prices and a depleted munition stocks, has not offered a military intervention in response. Instead, the president — who since his first term has maintained close relations with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia known as MBS — has been relatively blasé in remarks on the matter.

Last weekend, when asked about a call he had with MBS, Trump said that everything would be “fine and dandy.”

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“The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us … they don’t want us to go after them and would much prefer not having us involved and they’re letting most ships go through,” Trump said while visiting Ireland for a golf tournament. “It’s just one country they’re not too happy with. And we’ll get that straightened out.”

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that “hopefully” the war would end soon. Without further explanation, he said that Iran wants to make a deal.

“We’ll see how that works out,” he added.

Two officials from Yemen, who are part of the Saudi-supported government and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said that requests made to Washington for assistance went unheeded.

“The government is indeed disappointed by the Trump administration’s lack of willingness to participate in the ongoing battles against the Houthis,” one of the officials said, adding that requests for help appeared to go “unheard and unnoticed” in Washington.

Michael Ratney, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2023 until January 2025, said the kingdom had “invested decades into its military partnership with the U.S. for just this kind of moment” of threat now confronting Riyadh.

“Now the moment has come, and the U.S. is not stepping up,” Ratney said, adding that the variety of threats facing Saudi Arabia in large part are the outcome of Trump’s decision with Israel to go to war with Iran.

A senior Trump administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said the U.S. is focused on “protecting our core national security interests,” including freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, while “empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges.”

“We are in continuous dialogue” with the Saudi government and the internationally recognized government in Yemen “regarding regional stability,” the official said. The official did not respond to questions about a Saudi appeal for assistance or Trump’s conversation with MBS.

The official said the U.S. expects the Houthis to abide by a May 2025 ceasefire negotiated after the Houthis attacked shipping in the Red Sea and the U.S. responded with air and naval strikes in Yemen. That episode showed that Trump “will take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and U.S. commercial shipping,” the official said.

Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment.

For his first international trip as president in 2017, Donald Trump chose Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh, the capital, he participated in a traditional sword dance; signed more than $110 billion in American arms sales; and gave a speech touting the strong partnership between the two countries.