Yemen Monitor / London / Agencies:
Saudi Arabia pressured the US to halt all American attacks on Yemen ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the kingdom, warning that such actions would create an “embarrassing situation” for both Riyadh and Washington, according to the British newspaper Middle East Eye on Tuesday.
Trump announced on Tuesday that he had “ordered an immediate halt to the attacks on the Houthis.”
Trump stated that the Houthis had “surrendered” and agreed not to target US vessels anymore, cutting short a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with an impromptu declaration that appeared to surprise some members of his team.
Middle East Eye reported that Saudi Arabia had insisted on ending the US strikes, which escalated last week, as they became increasingly concerned about the scope of the attacks, citing two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
One US official told Middle East Eye: “It seems Trump received a Saudi ‘request’ to halt the strikes ahead of his visit.”
He added, “The pressure from the Saudis to put an end to this intensified since last week. They told us that attacks on Yemen while Trump is there would be playing with fire.”
Officials could not confirm whether Trump was influenced solely by Saudi pressure or whether he decided to end the campaign based on his own calculations.
The US strikes had also come under heavy criticism from some of Trump’s closest allies, such as media figure Tucker Carlson and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi confirmed Trump’s announcement regarding the agreement, adding that his country had been mediating a “ceasefire” between the US and the Houthis.
Al-Busaidi wrote on X: “In the future, neither party will target the other, including US ships, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.”
Arab officials say Saudi Arabia wants to focus on economic deals and military sales.
Middle East Eye also reported last week that Riyadh had sought guarantees from the US that discussions on normalization with Israel would be kept off the agenda during Trump’s visit.
Saudi Arabia says it needs to see steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state and a ceasefire in Gaza before recognizing Israel.
