Trump Threatens Iran Over Houthi Aggression in the Red Sea

On Monday, President Donald Trump warned that any future Houthi attack on U.S. vessels will be interpreted as an attack by the group's Iranian sponsors, and that the U.S. would hold the Iranian government accountable for Houthi actions.

Over the weekend, the U.S. military conducted its largest strike yet on Houthi positions in Yemen, hitting dozens of sites with missiles and bombs. Upwards of 50 people were killed on the ground, Houthi media claimed, and many more injured. The group did not differentiate between civilian and military casualties, but U.S. defense officials said that Houthi leaders were targeted and some were killed.

In retaliation, Houthi forces claimed to have launched 18 ballistic missiles and one drone at the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, which is operating in the Red Sea. A U.S. military spokesman put the numbers differently, counting one ballistic missile and 10 drones; the drones were reportedly shot down by U.S. Air Force and Navy fighters, and the missile fell short of target.

In a statement Monday, Trump said that Iran exercised full operational control over Houthi forces, "dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated military equipment." Iran has supported the Houthi movement since the start of the Yemeni civil war, and U.S. forces have repeatedly intercepted Iranian missile component and drone shipments aboard dhows bound for Yemen. The intercepted components correspond to systems known to be used by the Houthis.

"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," Trump said in a statement.

Over the weekend, the president promised a continuing campaign of "overwhelming lethal force" until the Houthis fully abandon their campaign of attacks on merchant shipping.

In response, Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told state media that "we warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats."

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said Sunday that the group will" confront escalation with escalation," and that the terrorist group still has "escalation options" if the U.S. continues airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.