Trump says he’ll hold Iran responsible for future Houthi attacks on ships

President Trump said Thursday he will “hold Iran responsible” if Yemen’s Houthi rebels launch additional attacks on ships, after the group said its forces struck a pair of Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea. 

“A year ago the United States of America attacked, very powerfully, the Houthis, for their interference with commerce and trade, by shooting at ships,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the U.S. military’s nearly two-month campaign against the Houthis last year. 

American forces struck the Houthis from March to May 2025 in response to the Iranian-backed terrorist group’s attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

On Thursday, the Houthis said they hit two Saudi tankers, named Encelia and Layla, using ballistic and cruise missiles along with drones, according to its SABA news agency. It marked the first known attacks since the militant group announced a blockade of Saudi ships attempting to go through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday.

Trump said Thursday the Houthis have “acted very responsibly” since the U.S. concluded its military campaign against them in May 2025........

© The Hill