In remarks about the Yemen conflict — a war in which a Saudi Arabia-led coalition has been a party — Trump described the Houthi movement's actions as deeply troubling. According to the account put forward, the group's activities were carried out on Iran's behalf.
Speaking with reporters on 13 October, Trump described the situation as falling short of what he considered acceptable, a characterisation relayed by a broadcast outlet. Voicing confidence that Erdogan would back Saudi interests if asked, Trump stated in remarks that the Turkish leader would act on his request.
Unverified accounts point to a possible effort by Trump to draw Erdogan into building regional backing, alongside a position from Trump that the actions of the Houthis fall outside acceptable boundaries. On prior occasions, the president floated the possibility of the United States joining Saudi Arabia in direct military operations, a step that has not been taken.
In the wake of the announcement, the Houthis put out a statement indicating they would take action against the United States if it moved to intervene. Trump took to Truth Social to claim the group had re-entered the picture after lying dormant, to allege they were operating under Iranian direction, and to portray Iran as a country grappling with deep economic strain — pointing to an inflation figure he placed at 301 percent and noting what he described as the absence of a functional navy or air force. He went on to contend that the Houthis had carried out strikes against Saudi Arabia in a way he viewed as hostile and that the group was deliberately working to drive oil prices upward ahead of the US elections.
A phone call between Erdoğan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday produced a joint denunciation of the attacks attributed to Houthi forces, Türkiye's Communications Directorate reported.
At an earlier point, Türkiye's position held that deploying forces abroad under the Mecca Defence Agreement — including into Yemen against Houthi forces — was not something it had done, with officials characterising the arrangement as purely defensive in nature. Under such a mutual-defence arrangement, an armed assault on any member nation obliges the others to contribute to that nation's protection. The arrangement does not carry an aggressive character.
Hakan Fidan, in his capacity as foreign minister, stated that deploying troops onto foreign soil for offensive purposes lay outside what his country would do, while also noting that officials were examining ways to extend support to Saudi Arabia.
