President Donald Trump said the U.S. is in contact with Yemen's Houthi movement Ansarallah following the missile strike on Riyadh and will speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to IRNA, Trump characterized what happened in Saudi Arabia as "unacceptable" while leaving ambiguous whether the U.S. would directly enter the conflict.
According to Hamshahri, when returning from Tennessee, Trump told reporters, "We are in contact with the Houthis, we'll see what happens, what they did was very bad." Trump said Saudi Arabia has the capacity to defend itself but called the strike "a terrible event," stating, "I will speak to Bin Salman, what happened in Saudi Arabia is unacceptable." When asked whether the U.S. would join the conflict, Trump simply replied, "You'll see soon"; when asked whether this strike changes his earlier statement that the U.S. would not attack Iran before the midterm elections, he said, "We just found out about the attack, we'll decide, we'll evaluate."
The same day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media that he strongly condemned the recent strikes, noted that an American citizen was killed, calling it "outright disregard for civilian lives," and stressed that the U.S. stands with Saudi Arabia. The State Department spokesperson told CBS that without commenting on the U.S. military operations themselves, Washington is "in close contact with our Saudi partners" and stands "with resolute determination" against "Houthi terrorism."
According to IRNA, a member of Ansarallah's political bureau said a day before the strike that the movement has access to "a broad target bank" and has not yet deployed precision-guided missiles; this statement provides context for Trump's ambiguous posture of "we'll see." Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Yemen, Muhammed al-Jabir, claimed the land operations against Ansarallah around Bab al-Mandab strait are proceeding "successfully," though Ansarallah rejects this claim.
How the Persian press covered it
| Source (orientation) | Headline / framing |
|---|---|
| IRNA (state news agency) | Reported Trump's statements straightforwardly |
| Hamshahri (Tehran municipality, principlist) | Framed the headline as "Cold water from Trump to Bin Salman," emphasizing U.S. policy contradiction |
| Iran International (opposition, diaspora) | Highlighted Trump's potential to draw the U.S. directly into war |
Context
Trump's statements come as U.S. midterm elections approach and whether Washington will open a new military front is an internal political debate. Trump had previously implied the U.S. would not attack Iran before the midterms; the question of whether this strike changes that stance remains open. At the same time, the U.S. official messaging emphasizes solidarity with Saudi Arabia without referencing the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and military presence in the region—an example of how Washington's multifaceted military engagement in the region is presented to the public. For context on the midterm election dimension, see the report Trump's statement that he will not attack Iran.
