Trump says Houthis trying to increase oil prices before US elections

Read the original at Al Jazeera ↗
Cite

Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, October 13). Trump says Houthis trying to increase oil prices before US elections. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/13/trump-says-houthis-trying-to-increase-oil-prices-before-us-elections?traffic_source=rss

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Al Jazeera · collected 2026-10-13 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump accused the Houthi rebel group in Yemen of attacking Saudi Arabian infrastructure to drive up oil prices ahead of the US midterm elections, according to a post on Truth Social. He also warned that the U.S. could increase military action against Iran-aligned groups after the elections. Trump's ongoing war with Iran and its impact on energy prices are key issues as voters decide which party controls Congress in November’s midterms.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-13, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

On October 7, 2026, three people were killed in attacks on two airports in Saudi Arabia: Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for firing missiles at both locations as part of their ongoing conflict with the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s government. At Abha airport, an Egyptian and Algerian national died, while a Sudanese national was killed at King Khalid International Airport. These attacks have caused significant flight delays and heightened security concerns in the region. At least 13 people were injured in the Riyadh attack alone, making it one of the largest mass casualty events in recent Saudi history. The strikes underscore the escalating tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, potentially leading to further regional instability. Pilgrims visiting Islam's holy sites have been directly affected by these attacks, with some experiencing delays or cancellations due to security concerns. Experts note that resolving this crisis might require addressing broader geopolitical conflicts in the region, including those between Washington and Tehran. The attacks also highlight vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia’s defense capabilities against such threats.

Written for “Houthi's Attack Saudi Airports” on 2026-10-14, grounded in this article and the 123 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Houthi's Attack Saudi Airports
Politics · 124 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Trump says Houthis trying to push up oil prices before US election same event · 95%
The Straits Times · 0.95 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 8% hedged 1 of 12 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles report on President Trump's statement on October 13, 2026, accusing the Houthis of trying to increase oil prices before the US midterm elections.”
Midterm break different event · 95%
Dawn
⚖️ Leans strongly left 🔴 10% hedged 2 of 21 📰 publisher trust 71
“The articles discuss different aspects of President Trump's comments and actions related to Iran and Middle Eastern conflicts but refer to distinct occasions and contexts.”
Trump weighs joining the fight against Houthis after Riyadh airport attack different event · 95%
NPR
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 33 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles discuss different time periods and contexts related to Trump's stance on the Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia.”
Trump ‘may’ join Saudi strikes on Houthis after Riyadh airport attack different event · 95%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right 🔴 67% hedged 2 of 3 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different aspects of Trump's comments regarding the Houthis; one focuses on potential US involvement in Saudi strikes after a specific attack, while the other discusses broader implications and threats related to energy prices before elections.”
Major attack on Saudi airport kills 12 and leads Trump to weigh joining fight different event · 95%
NBC News
⚖️ Leans right 🔴 11% hedged 4 of 36 📰 publisher trust 95
“Article A describes the immediate aftermath and impact of a specific missile attack on Saudi Arabia's airport that killed 12 people. Article B is about Trump's broader comments regarding Houthi attacks in relation to oil prices and US elections, not specifically referring to the same incident.”
Trump says Yemen's Houthis are 'behaving very badly' same event · 95%
The Straits Times
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 1 of 7 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles report on Trump's comments about Houthi behavior and their potential influence from Iran, made on the same day in the context of US-Iran tensions.”
Trump suggests he won't take action against Houthis until after midterms: "I will never forget!" same event · 95%
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe President Trump's comments about the Houthi rebels on the same day, suggesting they are reporting on the same incident.”
Trump faces fresh economic nightmare as food and gas prices soar before midterms different event · 90%
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 10% hedged 3 of 31 📰 publisher trust 59
“Article A focuses on Trump's comments about the Houthi rebels' actions affecting oil prices, while Article B discusses general economic challenges and rising food and gas prices in the US.”
Trump considering strikes against Houthis in Yemen after attacks on Saudi Arabia different event · 85%
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“The articles discuss related but different aspects of the situation involving Trump and the Houthis, with Article A focusing on potential military strikes in response to attacks on Saudi Arabia, while Article B addresses the timing and motivation behind Houthi actions before US elections.”
Saudi attacks shake the confidence of foreign investors different event · 85%
Semafor
⚖️ Leans right 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 7 📰 publisher trust 95
“While both articles discuss Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and their impact, Article A focuses specifically on the impact of the attack on foreign investors' confidence and oil executives' absence from a conference. Article B is more about President Trump's comments regarding the timing and motives behind the attacks.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
7
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
1 of 7 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
124
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-13 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Al Jazeera · 3027 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
565 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 565 articles by Al Jazeera Staff →

Topics

Houthi Houthis Iran Saudi Arabia United States

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 8× Houthis NORP · 3× Iran GPE · 3× Saudi Arabia GPE · 3× Houthi NORP · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Navy ORG · 1× Truth Social ORG · 1× United States GPE · 1× Yemen GPE · 1×

Narrative

Trump added on Tuesday that he would “never forget” the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, seeming to threaten renewed US military attacks after the midterms, widely seen as a referendum on Trump’s second term. “Somebody should explain to them [the Houthis] that I’m not running in the Elections, I’ve already won, IN A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE, but I’ll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget!” he said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-13
🔮 Trump said on Tuesday that the Houthis were behaving “very badly” and repeated his threat that the US could step up military attacks across the Middle East after the November elections. “They’ve [the Houthis] been silent for a long time, but now they’ve emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran, which is a Failing Nation, with No Navy, No Airforce, the World’s Worst Economy, and 301 percent Inflation, in a very nasty way, hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the US Elections,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
2026-10-13 · Al Jazeera
Trump says Houthis trying to increase oil prices before US elections · assertive framing

Claims (7 extracted, 1 hedged)

United States President Donald Trump has said that the Houthi rebel group in Yemen are stepping up attacks on infrastructure in Saudi Arabia in a bid to increase energy prices in the run-up to the US midterm elections. asserted
group → say → elections
Trump said on Tuesday that the Houthis were behaving “very badly” and repeated his threat that the US could step up military attacks across the Middle East after the November elections. “They’ve [the Houthis] been silent for a long time, but now they’ve emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran, which is a Failing Nation, with No Navy, No Airforce, the World’s Worst Economy, and 301 percent Inflation, in a very nasty way, hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the US Elections,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. uncertain
Trump → say → Social
Trump’s decision to launch a war on Iran with Israel in February has caused surging energy prices and rising concerns about cost of living issues in the US, where voters will soon decide whether the president’s Republican Party maintains its majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. asserted
Party → launch → Representatives
Democrats hope to capitalise on the president’s unpopularity and voter frustration over the war and rising costs to seize control of one or both houses of Congress, allowing them to block Trump’s legislative agenda for the remainder of his time in office. asserted
them → hope → office
Trump added on Tuesday that he would “never forget” the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, seeming to threaten renewed US military attacks after the midterms, widely seen as a referendum on Trump’s second term. “Somebody should explain to them [the Houthis] that I’m not running in the Elections, I’ve already won, IN A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE, but I’ll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget!” he said. asserted
he → add → Elections
Polls have shown that Trump’s war on Iran is deeply unpopular, with a recent AP-NORC poll finding that nearly 70 percent of voters say the war was not worth fighting. asserted
war → show → voters
Trump has dismissed unfavourable polls as “fake” and pointed to crowds at his political rallies as proof of his popularity. asserted
Trump → dismiss → popularity
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