‘Iran will suffer the consequences’ - Trump raises prospect of war with Iran as US attacks on Houthis continue
17 March 2025, 17:37 | Updated: 17 March 2025, 18:21
Donald Trump has warned Iran will 'suffer the consequences' of every shot fired by the Houthis, as the rebel group retaliate against increased US attacks.
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Trump ordered a new 'decisive' military offensive against Yemen's Houthis on Saturday in response to the Houthis' attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
At least 59 people have been killed in US airstrikes on Yemen, and more than 100 people have been injured.
The group has since retaliated by launching largely unsuccessful drones and missiles at a US aircraft carrier off Yemen's coast, in the Red Sea.
The US president has now raised the stakes, putting forward the possibility of a direct confrontation between the US and Iran, who are allied with the Houthi rebels.
"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," he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!"
The US and others have long accused Iran of providing military aid to the Houthis, and the US Navy has seized Iranian-made missile parts and other weaponry it said were bound for the militant group, which controls Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and the country's north.
Iran has continuously denied backing the Houthis, and accuse Trump of trying to dictate Tehran's foreign policy.
Trump added: "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. They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, 'Intelligence.'"
Iran has not immediately responded to Trump's threats, but earlier on Monday said they would respond 'decisively and with full force' to any attacks on its territory.
“Iran will respond decisively and with full force to any violation of its territorial integrity, security, or national interests,” Esmail Baghaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a news conference.
“There is absolutely no doubt about this.”
Baghaei accused the US of sending 'contradictory' messages, after Trump reportedly sent Tehran a letter asking to start a dialogue about their nuclear capabilities.
“Messages received from the US are highly contradictory – while expressing readiness for dialogue, they simultaneously impose extensive sanctions on Iran’s trade and production sectors,” he said.
“Over the past 10–15 years, the US has shown that it does not honour its commitments. It views negotiations merely as a political, propaganda, and psychological tool rather than a genuine means to resolve disputes.”
The Houthis have been targeting ships affiliated with Israel in the Red Sea to pressure the country to stop the war in Gaza since late 2023, but paused their attacks once a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas.
But on Wednesday, they said they were “resuming the ban on the passage of all Israeli ships” in the Red Sea because Israel was not allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
