Ansarullah forces have advanced south along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, seizing the strategic port city of Mocha and moving toward positions around the Bab el-Mandeb, including Perim Island in the middle of the strait.

The development comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted, leaving Washington facing the prospect of simultaneous pressure on two of the Middle East’s most important maritime corridors.

The widening crisis has further complicated Trump’s efforts to contain the consequences of a war that has already placed pressure on US energy prices, military resources and domestic politics.

Separately, the advance has increased pressure on Saudi Arabia, which has relied more heavily on Red Sea ports to move oil while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely constrained.

Reuters reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump on Thursday and sought US military assistance against Ansarullah, but Washington has so far declined to intervene directly and has instead offered intelligence support.

Trump confirmed the conversation on Saturday and said Ansarullah had also contacted his administration and asked Washington not to become directly involved.

A senior Trump administration official said the United States remains focused on national security interests, including freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, while seeking to have regional partners take the lead in addressing regional security challenges.

The situation leaves the United States facing a difficult strategic choice.

Direct military intervention against Ansarullah would open another front for US forces already engaged in the conflict with Iran, while declining to intervene could leave Saudi Arabia and its regional partners to confront the advance themselves.

Analysts and former US officials have warned that a renewed American military campaign in Yemen could require significant naval, air and intelligence resources and further strain US stocks of munitions and air-defense interceptors.

The prospect also threatens to unravel an agreement reached last year under which the United States halted bombing Ansarullah in exchange for a halt to attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Any renewed US strikes could expose American forces to missile attacks from Yemen and expand the geographic scope of the conflict.

“This was always the worst-case scenario, that the Iranians exert control not only of Strait of Hormuz but Bab el-Mandeb, two of the leading energy choke points in the world,” said David Schenker, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs during Trump’s first term and is now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank.

"It's an enormous amount of leverage that they have in hand.”

Meanwhile, the growing pressure on Washington comes as the economic consequences of the war on Iran intensify.

The International Energy Agency said global oil supply in 2026 is expected to decline by 5.7 million barrels per day because of continuing Middle East conflict and disruptions to Persian Gulf energy routes, while Saudi oil production has fallen sharply.

Reuters has also reported that crude prices have risen above $100 a barrel amid the continuing disruption, while US fuel prices have added to domestic political pressure on the Trump administration.

The military consequences are also becoming more difficult for Washington to contain.

The advance by Ansarullah now adds another layer to that conflict, potentially forcing Washington to choose between expanding its military involvement and accepting greater pressure on regional shipping and energy routes.

“Just weeks ago, Trump adopted a strategy of squeezing Iran's economy while keeping military ⁠conflict at levels too low to squeeze the American economy,” said Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“The Houthis have shattered Trump’s plan.”