Trump to Houthis: I’ll Still Be Here After the Election — and I Won’t Forget!
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, October 13, warned Yemen’s Houthis following deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia, claiming the group had likely resumed its attacks at Iran’s instigation to drive up oil prices ahead of the US midterm elections. Trump stressed that he would “never forget” these actions.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “The Houthis are behaving very badly. I thought they had learned their lesson a year ago, when we bombed them heavily and then stopped the attacks at their request.”
He added that the Houthis had remained quiet for a long time but were now active again, attacking Saudi Arabia “probably at Iran’s behest” and deliberately seeking to raise oil prices ahead of the US elections.
The US president also lashed out at Iran, describing it as “a failing country” and claiming it no longer had naval or air forces, that its economy was the worst in the world, and that its inflation rate had reached 301 percent. These statements and figures are Trump’s claims, and the stated figure for Iran’s inflation has not been independently verified.
Trump concluded his message by writing: “Someone needs to explain to them that I am not a candidate in this election. I have already won by a landslide, but I will still be here after the election, and I will never forget!”
The warning came amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. According to Reuters, recent attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300, forcing the airport to suspend operations.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition launched fresh air strikes on Sanaa on Tuesday. Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah television reported that the strikes targeted oil facilities belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Company on the outskirts of the capital. The Houthis also threatened to retaliate against Saudi attacks by targeting sites including the kingdom’s oil facilities.
Earlier the same day, Trump said he might ask Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to help support Saudi Arabia against the Houthis. However, Washington has so far not announced any direct involvement in military operations against the Houthis during the latest phase of the conflict.