Trump threatens Houthis with ‘major military punishment’

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on July 23 that he would hold Iran responsible for attacks on shipping by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and threatened both with “major military punishment”.

Trump’s warning came after the Tehran-backed Houthis launched missile and drone strikes on oil tankers in the Red Sea to enforce what they said was a blockade on Saudi Arabia.

“The US 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” should the rebels launch further attacks, Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Trump said he was “very disappointed” by the Houthis as they had “until now, acted very professionally and smart” following US attacks on the group in 2025, and during the Iran war that the US and Israel launched in February.

The Houthis hit a Saudi ship in the Red Sea on July 22, bringing the Middle East war to a new front and sending oil prices surging.

Earlier this week, the Houthis said they had struck two Saudi oil tankers after declaring a blockade of Saudi ports.