Trump says US in talks with Houthis and that they want a deal

Asked about his recent remarks that he was considering whether to “annihilate” Iran, Trump replied, “We’ll see what happens.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States is talking with both Iran and Yemen’s Houthis about possible agreements, as Washington weighs its approach to Tehran and the Iran-backed group’s conflict with Saudi Arabia escalates.

“We’re talking to the Houthis also and they would like to see if we can make a deal,” Trump told NewsNation.

Reuters reported Wednesday that US officials met with Houthi representatives in Oman over the weekend. The previously undisclosed discussions reportedly took place at the US Embassy in Muscat. Three sources said the meeting occurred at the embassy, while two said Oman helped facilitate the talks.

Trump’s comments came as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia continues to intensify.

The group claimed responsibility Saturday for missile and drone attacks against sensitive sites in Riyadh and an Aramco facility in Yanbu.

Hours earlier, firefighters extinguished a blaze at a fuel depot near King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones were used in the attacks.

Trump also said Iran currently wants an agreement with Washington.

“Right now, they want to make a deal,” Trump said, adding that Iran was “losing in every way” financially and militarily. He said he would not accept an agreement unless its terms were acceptable to the United States.

Asked about his recent remarks that he was considering whether to “annihilate” Iran, Trump replied, “We’ll see what happens.”

The president made a similar assessment Thursday in an interview with Fox News.

“Iran wants to make a deal. They’re not ready, in my opinion. They’re going to either make a deal that’s good, or we’re not going to make a deal at all.”

Trump also said US airstrikes conducted by B-2 bombers had prevented Iran from advancing toward a nuclear weapon. Without the operation, he claimed, Iran would now possess such a weapon “and they would use it. They would use it very easily.”

He continued, “You look anywhere in the world, they’re considered the most