▲ U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the 13th (local time).
U.S. President Donald Trump on the 13th (local time) hinted at the possibility of retaliating against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels following the U.S. midterm elections, targeting their attacks on Saudi Arabia.
President Trump made the remarks on his social media platform Truth Social, writing, "The Houthis are acting very badly."
"I thought they would have learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed them badly, and stopped at their request," Trump said. "They were quiet for a long time, but now they are back and attacking Saudi Arabia in a very vicious manner."
Trump pointed out, "It seems to be an intentional effort to drive up oil prices ahead of the U.S. elections, under the direction of Iran—a failing nation with no navy, no air force, the worst economy in the world, and 301% inflation."
"Somebody should explain to them that I am not running in this election," Trump emphasized. "I will still be here after the elections are over, and I will never forget."
His comments suggest that the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are orchestrated by Iran to stimulate international oil prices and target a defeat for the U.S. Republican Party in the midterms, and that he, remaining in office regardless of the midterm outcome, could order retaliatory strikes against the Houthis.
Trump has previously stated that he would "not attack Iran at any point before the midterm elections" on November 3.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that President Trump has rejected plans for large-scale military operations against Iran or the Houthis five times in recent months.
While Trump's policy appears to be that the U.S. will not directly intervene against the Houthis before the elections, he has left open the possibility of asking other Middle Eastern nations, such as Turkey, for military support.
Meeting with reporters at the White House on this day, when asked whether he would ask Turkey to join the attacks against the Houthis, Trump replied, "That's possible," adding, "He (Turkish President Erdogan) is a very good friend of mine."
"I think he would do whatever I ask. I respect him a very lot," Trump added.
Earlier, U.S. online media outlet Axios reported that Syria is also considering deploying troops to operations to defeat the Houthis, and that the Trump administration is reportedly not opposed to a Syrian military deployment.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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