From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Trump downplays concerns over Houthis blocking Red Sea, says ‘we’ve had no problem’ with them
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Donald Trump downplays concerns that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen may try to block shipping in the Red Sea.
Trump says this hasn’t happened yet, but that the US would be able to deal strongly with the terror group as it has before.
Trump references a spring 2025 US bombing campaign against the Houthis, which lasted nearly two months before a ceasefire was reached.
“We haven’t heard from them in a while since we did what we did originally,” Trump tells reporters while sitting alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office.
“We’ve had no problem with the Houthis. They’ve had no problem with us for a long period of time, including during this conflict [with Iran],” he adds.
The Times of Israel Community.