The Iran-backed militia that once triggered one of the most damaging scandals of President Donald Trump's second term is back — and the president is trying to avoid a fight he already walked away from once, according to a new report.
American diplomats met with Houthi representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Oman over the weekend in an effort to cool tensions and keep Red Sea shipping lanes open, a source briefed on the discussions told MS NOW. Both sides reaffirmed a ceasefire reached last year, under which the Houthis agreed not to strike U.S. targets in exchange for the U.S. standing down.
That truce was born out of Trump's frustration with his military campaign that spawned Signalgate. In spring 2025, the U.S. launched a seven-week, more than $1 billion military operation against the Houthis — one that top officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussed on the Signal messaging app.
The chats became public after then-national security adviser Mike Waltz mistakenly added a journalist to the thread, setting off months of controversy and staff turnover.
Frustrated by the campaign's lack of progress, Trump halted it in May 2025 and struck the ceasefire instead.
Now that decision has narrowed his options, reported MS NOW's Felicia Schwartz. With the U.S.-Iran war ongoing and Tehran controlling the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia had rerouted oil exports through the Red Sea to avoid the chokepoint.
The Houthis have responded by seizing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, threatening that backup route too and helping push gas prices higher just weeks before the U.S. midterms.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally asked Trump last week to strike the Houthis after they took control of the strait, according to a person familiar with the call.
Trump declined, telling the crown prince that Riyadh should take the lead on what the White House considers a regional security matter. Asked about the call while in Ireland, Trump called the crown prince "a good friend of mine" and predicted "everything's going to work out fine and dandy."
A senior administration official said the U.S. expects the Houthis to keep honoring the ceasefire, noting the group has signaled it doesn't want to fight the U.S.
But David Schenker, a former top State Department Middle East official now at the Washington Institute, said the president's rationale is both strategic and political. "Trump doesn't want to start another campaign, certainly not before the elections. We're short of munitions and already stretched."
Trump's reluctance is frustrating to Saudi Arabia and Washington’s other Middle East partners who never wanted the Iran war in the first place but are now tasked with containing the fallout.
“The war with Iran really exposed the vulnerabilities of a lot of our partners in the Gulf,” Schenker said. “It raises all sorts of questions about what a U.S. security commitment to the Gulf looks like.”