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U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi on Sunday to discuss the rapid advances of Iran-backed Houthi forces near a strategic global shipping route, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Alimi used the call to ask for US support for his Saudi-backed government, which has been fighting the Houthis as the group made sweeping territorial gains this month.
Two of the sources speaking to Reuters, one Yemeni and one Western, said Trump did not make any direct pledge of military assistance during the conversation.
The Houthis took control of key areas along the Bab al-Mandeb strait this month in what was described as a lightning offensive.
The strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa, is one of the world's busiest shipping corridors, linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serving as a critical passage for global oil and cargo traffic between Europe and Asia.
The Houthis, a Yemeni armed movement backed by Iran, have controlled large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since seizing power there in 2014.
Yemen's internationally recognized government, headed by Alimi and backed by Saudi Arabia, has been based in the south of the country amid the prolonged conflict.
Neither the White House nor Yemen's information minister immediately responded to requests for comment on the reported call.
Trump has said publicly that the United States is in contact with the Houthis and that the group has indicated it will not target US shipping, even though Washington has designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization.
The reported call comes after Trump rebuffed earlier requests from Saudi Arabia for US military support against the Houthis.
It was not clear from the available information whether Sunday's conversation signaled any shift in that position.
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