Trump: Iran Will Face 'Consquences' Over Houthi Attacks

President Trump explicitly linked the actions of Yemen's Houthi rebels to the group's main benefactor, Iran, on Monday, warning Tehran would "suffer the consequences" for further attacks by the group. Describing the Houthis as "sinister mobsters and thugs," the group's attacks "all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "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."

• Trump's comments escalate his administration's new campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people this weekend alone and appear poised to continue, the AP reports. Meanwhile, Iran continues to weigh how to respond to a letter Trump sent last week trying to jump-start negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

• "Iran has played 'the innocent victim' of rogue terrorists from which they've lost control, but they haven't lost control," Trump alleged in his post. "They're dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, 'Intelligence.'"
• Trump added: "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!"
• It's unclear what sparked Trump's post. However, the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard sought to separate the Houthis' actions from those of Tehran this weekend. The Houthis also launched drones and missiles targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, though none reached the ship as it continues flight operations in the region.
• The United Nations called for a halt to all military activities in Yemen and the Red Sea, urging "utmost restraint" and warning that "any additional escalation could exacerbate regional tensions," UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday.
• Houthi supporters rallied in several cities in Yemen on Monday after the strikes, vowing revenge against America and Israel over blocking aid to the Gaza Strip. 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."

(More Iran stories.)