Iran war live: Oman says Hormuz talks with Iran, Gulf states postponed

Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at the Soufan Center, says the US could have stopped the Houthi advance in Yemen if US President Donald Trump had responded to Saudi Arabia’s request for military support.“Given the precision with which the US air force operates – and their effectiveness – US air strikes could very well have stopped the Houthi advance, and we would not have the crisis we are facing now,” Katzman told Al Jazeera.He said that Trump seems “confused” about how to handle the situation in Yemen and is not operating as an “effective commander-in-chief”.“For decades the US defined free flow of navigation, particularly of energy flows through the Middle East, as in the US’s vital interest and now it is being squeezed from Iran and the Houthis in Yemen.“Mr Trump is just sort of sitting on his chair and doing very little and hoping it resolves itself somehow by the hand of Saudi Arabia which is unlikely,” Katzman said.