Trump says he may ask Turkey to intervene against the Houthis and expresses confidence in Erdoğan

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 in Washington that he may ask Turkey to get involved in the confrontation with the Houthis in Yemen, expressing confidence that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would comply with his request and calling him "a great friend."

Trump made the remarks to reporters outside the White House before heading to Alaska to attend a campaign rally, but he did not say whether Washington had formally approached Ankara on the matter, nor did he specify the nature of a possible Turkish role. The Turkish side has not issued any statement indicating agreement to participate.

Speaking about the Houthis, the U.S. president said they were "behaving very badly," and declined to say whether he intended to order strikes against them or to provide additional military support to Saudi Arabia. He also said he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but did not disclose the content of the call.

On his platform, Truth Social, Trump accused the Houthis of resuming attacks on the kingdom at Iran's instigation in order to push oil prices up ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for November 3, vowing that he would not forget those attacks and that he would remain in office after the elections.

He also addressed the Iran file, saying the United States would make a decision regarding Tehran "very soon," calling Iran a "failed state," and claiming that his country controls the Strait of Hormuz and that large quantities of oil pass through it.

In Riyadh, the Saudi cabinet, in a session chaired by the Crown Prince, said the kingdom would not allow any threat to its security or to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, stressing that the Houthis would bear the consequences of their repeated attacks on the kingdom's airports, Mecca and Medina, and civil and economic facilities.

Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with the Saudi crown prince the same day in which he condemned the attacks on Saudi territory and affirmed Ankara's solidarity with Riyadh, at a time when attacks on the kingdom's aviation and energy facilities are escalating, including an attack that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and caused fatalities and injuries.

For his part, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, warned that a U.S. return to the military option against Tehran would have repercussions beyond the region, calling for diplomatic solutions and saying that Tehran is open to negotiations but prepared for all possibilities.

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