A Houthi threat to impose a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea could significantly widen the Iran war and strain a US military already focused on stopping Tehran’s attacks across the region, current and former US officials say, according to Reuters.

Saudi Arabia, which hosts US forces, has not yet requested military assistance from Washington. But Trump suggested yesterday that a move by the group to obstruct shipping in the Red Sea, a vital corridor for global trade, could draw the United States in.

“If something like that happens, we’ll take care of it. We’ve done that with the Houthis before,” Trump told reporters.

For the US military, it may not be so simple. The Houthis have earned a reputation as hardened, nimble fighters who have successfully resisted earlier Saudi and US bombing campaigns.

Taking them on would mean stretching American resources already focused on fighting Iran and maintaining the United States’ own blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf.

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