U.S. On Monday, President Donald Trump warned Iran that it would “suffer the consequences” for any further attacks by the Houthi rebels, explicitly linking the group’s actions to Iran, which is the main beneficiary of the group. Trump’s remarks on his Truth Social website intensify the current airstrikes against the rebels launched by his administration, which claimed the lives of at least 53 people just this past weekend. U.S. officials said the strikes were carried out against more than 40 targets and more airstrikes were planned in the coming days. To discuss specifics of military operations, the officials spoke on condition of anonymity. The Iranians, on the other hand, are still debating how to respond to a letter Trump sent them last week in an effort to get negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly expanding nuclear program off the ground. Houthi supporters rallied in several cities Monday after the strikes, vowing revenge against America and Israel over blocking aid to the Gaza Strip after its war on Hamas there. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel put young boys on air live, who chanted the group’s slogan: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”“ The Yemeni position is an irreversible position (regarding Gaza), so do whatever you (Americans) want, for we are men who fear no one but God,” said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi leader who spoke to the demonstration in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.
Defining the Houthis as “sinister mobsters and thugs,” Trump warned that any attack by the group would be met with “great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.” The United Nations issued a statement on Monday urging “utmost restraint” and warning that “any additional escalation could exacerbate regional tensions.” Trump claimed in his post, “Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they have lost control, but they haven’t lost control.” “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.’” Additionally, in a marked departure from the previous administration, Trump has provided the United States When it deems it necessary, Central Command has the authority to launch offensive strikes against the Houthis. The Biden administration had required White House approval to conduct offensive strikes like the ones over the weekend. It did let U.S. forces launch defensive attacks, taking out weapons that looked ready to fire. Delegating the authority to the regional commander, said Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “allows us to achieve a tempo of operations where we can react to opportunities that we see on the battlefield in order to continue to put pressure on the Houthis.” He went on to say that it also lets the United States hit more targets. The U.S. officials said Trump made the decision last week.The weekend strikes targeted headquarters positions and drone sites where what the Pentagon identified as “key leaders” for the Houthis’ drone program were located at the time, said Grynkewich.
According to the Pentagon, there was no proof that any civilians had been killed in the attacks. Iran warns US about ‘reckless’ words
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations delivered a strong rebuke Monday to Trump’s recent rhetoric about the Islamic Republic, saying Trump and U.S. officials are making “reckless and provocative statements” and threatened to retaliate if those words turn to actions.
In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said his country would “defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests under international law against any hostile action.”
It’s unclear what sparked Trump’s post. However, this past weekend, the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard attempted to distinguish the Houthis’ actions from those of Tehran. The Houthis also targeted the USS Harry S with drones and missiles. Despite the Truman aircraft carrier’s ongoing flight operations in the Red Sea, none made it to the ship. “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 added.The Houthi rebels attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January this year when a ceasefire began in Gaza. The campaign also greatly raised the Houthis’ profile in the wider Arab world and tamped down on public criticism against their human rights abuses and crackdowns on dissent and aid workers.
The Houthis claimed there had been additional U.S. airstrikes overnight, though American officials did not immediately acknowledge them.
Trump says Iran will ‘suffer the consequences’ for further Houthi attacks
