President Donald Trump warned the Islamic Republic of Iran that he will hold Tehran responsible for any military strikes carried out by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who enjoy funding and support from the mullahs.
“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,” the president posted on Truth Social Monday. “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.”
“Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,” Trump added. “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.’”
He drew a line in the sand: “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!”
The Houthi rebels in Iran have attacked over 100 merchant vessels with drones and missiles from November 2023 until January. Houthi leaders claim the attacks aim to end Israel’s war against Hamas. Yemen’s geography juts into the Red Sea, creating a choke point between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping route.
Trump launched airstrikes against the Houthis this weekend, targeting missile sites and Houthi leadership and killing at least 53 people.
“We’re doing the entire world a favor by getting rid of these guys and their ability to strike global shipping,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “That’s the mission here, and it will continue until that’s carried out.”
Trump has resurrected his “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran after former President Joe Biden relaxed sanctions, allowing at least $71 billion to flow to Tehran before the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Iran bankrolls Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and militias in Iraq, which have all attacked Israel or U.S. interests in the Middle East.
