Donald Trump issues ‘dire’ warning to Iran unless Houthi attacks stop with Tehran being held responsible for ‘every shot fired’
US President Donald Trump has issued a “dire” warning to Iran unless the Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes stop, claiming their leaders are to blame for “every shot fired”.
Following US strikes in Yemen, the militant group attempted to attack USS Harry S Truman in the Red Sea on Sunday.
The Pentagon reported that it had hit 30 targets in Yemen since Saturday, marking the largest US military operation in the Middle East since Trump’s return to the White House.
The Houthis have said 53 people were killed in the strikes, including five children.
Writing on his Truth Social account on Monday, Trump said: “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!”
Trump accused Iran of funding the Houthis, which is denied by Tehran.
In a letter to the UN Security Council on Monday, Iran’s UN ambassador rejected claims that the country was violating the UN arms embargo on Yemen and denied any involvement in destabilising activities in the region.
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Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani criticized the US for making “baseless accusations” against Iran, according to Reuters.
During a briefing on Monday, Pentagon officials stated that the recent US strikes on Yemen targeted a broader range of objectives than those authorized under former President Joe Biden.
Lt Gen Alex Grynkewich said the militant’s drone experts were among those targeted.
He claimed there were “no credible indications of any civilian casualties”.
Washington has said some senior members of the group were killed, although the Houthis have not confirmed this.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon spokesman, said the aim of the campaign was to weaken their capabilities and to open up shipping lanes and “defend our homeland”.
Sunday’s attack saw the Houthis launch drones and missiles at the USS Harry S Truman, of which 11 drones were reportedly shot down by a US fighter aircraft.
They also launched a ballistic missile that did not hit the aircraft carrier.
On Monday, they revealed a third attack was launched on the ship in just 48 hours, disrupting US plans for military strikes.
The Pentagon had previously claimed that one missile fired by the Houthis missed by over 100 miles and that none of their attacks had been successful.
The group has said they would continue attacking Red Sea shipping until Israel lifted its blockade of Gaza.
They have frequently claimed— often incorrectly—that they only target ships connected to Israel, the US, or the UK in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, captured a third, and killed four crew members.