Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo and promised an “unrelenting” campaign against Houthi militants if they keep targeting ships in the Red Sea. As we reported, President Trump ordered heavy attacks against the radical Islamist group in Yemen Saturday, killing numerous terrorists and damaging their infrastructure.
Hegseth vowed that this will only be the beginning if the Iran-back proxies keep threatening crucial shipping lanes and attacking American targets:
“The minute the Houthis say ‘we’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones,’ this campaign will end, but until then, it will be unrelenting,” he told “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo.
U.S. Central Command said Saturday it had “initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation…”
Hegseth… sought to make “very clear” that the ongoing campaign is about “freedom of navigation” and “restoring deterrence.”
“An era of peace, through strength is back…” he said.
He also accused Iran of backing the terror group and issued a stern warning for the Islamic Republic:
Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long….they better back off. pic.twitter.com/3NhVFKtvIK
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 16, 2025
More–> Trump Orders Large-Scale Attacks on Houthis, Embarrasses Joe Biden in the Process
Delusional: Houthis Threaten US With Images of Flag-Draped Coffins
This is why President Trump is holding the Houthis accountable 👇 pic.twitter.com/F0D1s5mimx
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 16, 2025
The SecDef went on to describe just how many times the group has attacked our interests and how the Biden administration did little to put an end to it:
“We’re sitting on four years of deferred maintenance from Joe Biden, where, when you talk about the Houthis, they were allowed over 100 times to shoot at U.S. ships, to shoot at commercial shipping. Four months ago, when we sent a ship through, it was shot at 17 times. Ships haven’t been able to go through for over a year without being shot at.”
He called freedom of navigation a “core national interest,” reiterating Trump’s vow to restore that freedom and be “unrelenting” in doing so.
The message is being sent loud and clear by this administration: keep it up, and find out.
CENTCOM operations against Iran-backed Houthis continue… pic.twitter.com/DYvc3gREN8
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2025
Peace through strength is indeed back. It’s shameful how Biden didn’t take stronger action against a far inferior enemy and instead let them terrorize a crucial shipping lane and make the United States look weak. The lack of repercussions also emboldened Iran, the number one sponsor of terror in the world and backers of the Houthis.
Trump, Hegseth and others in the administration, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aren’t just talking tough—they’re taking action and letting our foes know that if you mess with the U.S., you’re going to pay a high price. It’s the kind of leadership that’s been far too often lacking in Washington, D.C. in recent years.
