Iran-Directed Houthis Advance to the Red Sea as U.S. Expands Military Support for Saudi Arabia

[Financial News] As Yemen's pro-Iran Ansar Allah (Houthis) expanded their presence to the Red Sea under Iran's direct command, Saudi Arabia reportedly asked the United States to launch airstrikes against the Houthis. However, U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he could not directly intervene in another front, opted to provide indirect support.
According to British media reports on the 10th local time, Iran directly directed operations as the Houthis seized key areas of the Red Sea. The Houthis received orders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as they advanced toward the strategic port city of Mocha. Based on intercepted communications and statements from captured Houthi rebels, Yemeni military sources concluded that senior IRGC commander Abdul Reza Shahlai oversaw the operation.
Iran reportedly promised the Houthis additional funding and weapons and instructed them to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia. After the Houthis seized Mocha that day and pushed back Yemeni government forces, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MbS) called President Trump again, explained the worsening situation, and urged him to launch airstrikes against the Houthis. Saudi Arabia had initially maintained that it would resolve the Houthi issue on its own, but appears to have shifted toward requesting direct U.S. military support after the threat reached the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
However, President Trump reportedly rejected MbS's request, saying that U.S. forces needed to focus on the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, the United States expanded its intelligence and military support and responded indirectly. According to CNN, about 200 U.S. military advisers are currently stationed in Saudi Arabia, providing real-time battlefield updates and satellite-based targeting information.
The Houthis came close to taking control of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait that day. Until now, the strait had served as an energy transport route bypassing the blocked Strait of Hormuz. For U.S. President Donald Trump, who is struggling with rising gasoline prices caused by the war with Iran ahead of the November midterm elections, this has created a dilemma: he can neither intervene directly on the Red Sea front nor ignore the risk of a blockade of the strait.
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