US President Donald Trump described Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as a "good friend" and said a recent phone call between them was "fine and dandy", a day after the widow of a 9/11 victim publicly accused Saudi Arabia of supporting the hijackers behind the 2001 attacks. The remarks, made during a visit to Ireland, highlight the tension between Trump's close diplomatic and economic ties with Riyadh and renewed pressure from victims' families demanding accountability over the kingdom's alleged links to the terrorist plot 25 years on.

The call reportedly centred on Houthi rebel advances in Yemen, where the group has strengthened its grip on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key route for global oil shipments. MBS is said to have twice asked Trump to authorise US military strikes against the Houthis, a request Trump declined. The exchange came a day after Terry Strada, widow of victim Tom Strada, told a Manhattan memorial service that successive US administrations had "protected the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families", urging declassification of records including phone logs linked to Saudi national Omar al-Bayoumi. Trump was not at the memorial, attending events at the Pentagon instead, while Vice President JD Vance and former presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden were present in New York.