Trump says Houthis trying to drive up oil prices ahead of US midterm elections

President Donald ​Trump on Tuesday accused Yemen's Houthi ‌militants ​of deliberately trying to drive up oil prices ahead of the US midterm elections and warned that he would "never ‌forget" their attacks on Saudi Arabia, amid a widening regional conflict fueled by the US war with Iran. "The Houthis are behaving very badly," Trump wrote in a Truth Social ‌post, accusing the group of resuming attacks at Iran's behest after a period ‌of relative quiet following US strikes in Yemen last year.

Trump also made clear that his warning would extend beyond the November 3 midterm elections, saying, "I’ll be there after the elections, and I ⁠will never ​forget!" The warning followed ⁠a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that ⁠have killed at least 13 people, wounded more than 300 and forced the closure of ​the airport.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump told reporters he "might" ask Turkish President Tayyip ⁠Erdogan to intervene in support of Saudi interests. "President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask," Trump ⁠said. The ​Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, have been fighting the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in a civil war since 2014. The conflict has intensified amid the ⁠eight-month US-Iran war, with the group escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea ⁠and the ⁠strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The renewed attacks have raised concerns about disruptions to global oil supplies and shipping routes, threatening to ‌push energy prices ‌higher.