Trump has issued a stark warning that any future Houthi attack will be treated as an Iranian assault and that Iran will ’suffer the consequences.’
President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against Iran on Monday, declaring that any future attacks by the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen would be treated as direct acts of aggression by Tehran—warning that Iran would be held responsible and face “dire” consequences.
Trump’s remarks, posted on Truth Social on March 17, followed a series of U.S. military strikes over the weekend against Houthi positions in Yemen. The strikes were a response to the group’s persistent attacks on Red Sea shipping, including direct assaults on U.S. forces. While Iran has denied any direct involvement or backing for the Houthis, Trump insists otherwise.
“Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN,” Trump wrote in Monday’s social media post.
“Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.”
Trump accused Iran of directly orchestrating the Houthis’ military actions, rejecting claims that Tehran lacks control over the group.
“They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence,’” Trump wrote.
“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”
Iran has denied any direct involvement in the Red Sea shipping attacks, and in response to U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis, Iranian officials issued threats of retaliation.
“I warn all enemies that any threat being carried out [against Iran] will draw a tough, decisive, and devastating reaction,” Gen. Hossein Salami, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said in a statement to state-run media outlet Tasnim News on March 16.
By Tom Ozimek