WASHINGTON — The White House today welcomed the announcement by Saudi Arabia that the kingdom would lift a blockade on a key Yemen port; the decision followed mounting pressure from the US administration over the past month.

Even as it condemned a second Houthi ballistic missile launch that attempted to target the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday, the Donald Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on the Saudi-led coalition to lift its blockade to allow critically needed food and fuel into Yemen to alleviate one of the biggest humanitarian calamities in the world.

“We have engaged closely with Saudi leadership to encourage them to take steps to improve humanitarian conditions and improve their defenses. Saudi Arabia’s announcement today that the coalition is opening the port of Hodeidah is one of the steps we had encouraged, as were previous coalition actions like permitting aid ships to unload and flights to land in Yemen,” a National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson told Al-Monitor today.

“It is important to note the Saudi response to yesterday’s attack — which appears to have targeted Saudi leadership during a Cabinet meeting — was to follow through with opening Hodeidah,” the NSC official said. “We expect the Saudis to turn to the UN Security Council for assistance in holding Iran accountable for its clear violations. … These are exactly the productive steps we are encouraging by the Saudis.”