US President Donald Trump declared on Monday that Iran will be directly held responsible for any future attacks by Yemen’s Huthi rebels targeting US and foreign vessels in the Red Sea, escalating tensions with Tehran.
“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 posted on his Truth Social platform.
The remarks come after US airstrikes on Huthi targets in Yemen over the weekend killed 53 people and wounded 98, marking the first US military action in Yemen under Trump’s new term. In response, the Huthis claimed two strikes on a US aircraft carrier and staged mass protests in areas under their control.
The US has conducted repeated strikes against the Huthis following attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes, which have disrupted a key global trade route. The Huthis maintain that their naval assaults are in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, supported by Washington.
Trump warned that any further Huthi aggression will be met with “great force”, accusing Iran of hiding behind the Huthi attacks while portraying itself as an “innocent victim.”
Despite his “America First” stance against deeper Middle East entanglements, Trump has renewed his “maximum pressure” sanctions policy on Tehran while signaling openness to a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
