Trump says Houthis will not fight US as Iran deploys troops

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Houthi fighters stand guard in Sanaa, Yemen, September 20, 2026. /VCG

US President Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that Washington is in "constant communication" with Yemen's Houthi group, which has agreed not to fight the United States.

Trump's remarks came as tensions involving the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have sharply escalated, raising concerns that the group's recent attacks and advances could open another front in the broader conflict involving the United States and Iran and further complicate an already volatile situation in the Middle East.

The US State Department has issued a security alert over the Houthi hostilities, warning of the potential for unforeseen escalation in the region. It urged Americans to exercise increased vigilance and remain aware of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures.

Saudi Arabia has not commented on the latest incident. A Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, however, said it had thwarted other attacks targeting the kingdom.

Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the United States also escalated on Sunday, with Trump warning that Iran could face severe economic consequences or the loss of its leadership if it failed to reach a deal with Washington.

Trump told Fox News that the United States was at a "decision-making stage" regarding Iran and that "very big things" would happen in the not-too-distant future. He urged Iran’s leaders to reach an agreement, warning that otherwise the country could "rot economically" or see its leadership "wiped out."

Iranian officials, meanwhile, have signaled that the country is prepared for further confrontation while continuing to pursue diplomatic options.

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march during an exercise in Tehran, Iran, September 18, 2026. /VCG

On Sunday, Iran's army ground forces commander, Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi, said the Iranian Army border units remained "deployed and on constant alert" in various border areas, prepared to counter any potential threats and protect the country's security and territorial integrity, according to Press TV.

Against this backdrop, Qatar is continuing efforts to facilitate talks between Washington and Tehran. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Qatar is working with the United States and Iran to resume talks, and that US officials have indicated that Washington wants a deal, speaking on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum in New York on Sunday.

Noting Qatar had been exchanging ideas with Washington and Tehran over the past few weeks in an effort to restart negotiations, Al Ansari said: "We have been working together through our mediator team with both Tehran and the United States to see if we can get it restarted again. A lot of ideas have been thrown back and forth."

"We have heard statements on the record from various administration officials who have confirmed that the United States wants a deal, and the United States wants a solution to this war," he said.

Al Ansari said any settlement should provide regional stability while establishing an international understanding to protect strategic waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.

"Open the strait, stop the war. These are the two main objectives of everything that we're doing right now," he added.

Iran, however, reiterated Sunday that it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the terms of the June agreement, as interpreted by Tehran, had been met.

At the same time, a US blockade of Iranian ports has prevented Iran from selling its oil, adding to the economic pressure facing the Islamic Republic.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would need to continue both fighting and negotiating in order to push back against its adversaries and consolidate any gains through diplomacy.