President Trump vowed Thursday to hold Iran accountable for any future attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The warning follows the Houthis striking two Saudi Arabian vessels on Wednesday evening.
Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the Houthis are proxies for Iran. “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with,” Trump wrote.
The incidents have intensified concerns that the Houthi group could disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial chokepoint for oil transport. According to the notes, Trump also commented that the Houthis "have, until now, acted very professionally and smart” during Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28.