by WorldTribune Staff, March 19, 2025 Real World News
President Donald Trump warned Iran that it would pay a heavy price for any continued support of the Yemen-based Houthi terrorist organization.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. would conduct ‘unrelenting’ strikes against the Houthis until they cease military actions targeting U.S. assets and global shipping. / U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Apprentice Madelyn CuevasTrump wrote on Truth Social: “Reports are coming in that while Iran has lessened its intensity on Military Equipment and General Support to the Houthis, they are still sending large levels of Supplies. Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly. Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!”
The warning follows the first major military action in Trump’s new term as the U.S. said air strikes on the Houthis which began on March 16 have killed dozens of terrorists and hit headquarters, command and control nodes, weapons manufacturing and storage facilities, and drone operations infrastructure.
“Today, the operation continues, and it will continue in the coming days until we achieve the president’s objectives,” Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said during a Tuesday media briefing.
Grynkewich said that among the Houthis killed were several drone technicians.
“The initial wave of strikes hit over 30 targets at multiple locations, degrading a variety of Houthi capabilities,” Grynkewich added. “These included terrorist training sites, unmanned aerial vehicle infrastructure, weapons manufacturing capabilities and weapons storage facilities. It also included a number of command and control centers, including a terrorist compound where we know several senior unmanned aerial vehicle experts were located. On Sunday, strike operations continued against additional headquarters locations, weapon storage facilities, as well as detection capabilities that have been used to threaten maritime shipping in the past.”
Grynkewich said there was no indication of any civilian casualties.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell did not completely rule out ground operations against the Houthis.
“It’s very difficult, if not impossible, for us to talk about force posture from this podium, because as a commander who’s been on the battlefield, it’s very, very important to keep the enemy guessing, keep your adversaries guessing,” Parnell said. “Now that’s not to say that we’ve got ground troops in Yemen. That’s not to say that we’re sending ground troops in. But it’s difficult to talk about that stuff for operational security reasons from the podium.”
Geostrategy-Direct.com reported on Tuesday that the U.S. strikes on the Houthis are being closely monitored by America’s partners in the Gulf countries.
Related: Gulf states watching: Trump aims to secure U.S. shipping in first major military action, March 18, 2025
Trump had previously said the strikes on the Houthis were also a message to Iran that it needed to immediately halt support for the terrorist group. If Iran threatens the U.S., “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”
“The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”
Trump added: “YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”
The Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea began in November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians over the war between Israel and Gaza. They have forced ships to avoid the Suez Canal for a far longer route around Africa, boosting cargo costs by nearly $200 billion.
The Houthis’ attacks sank two vessels, damaged many others, caused the death of four mariners, and led to many being held hostage after a ship was seized. There were also a lot of Houthi weapons that missed their targets entirely. In addition to attacking shipping, the Houthis have also fired missiles and drones at Israel.
“Houthi terrorists have launched missiles and one-way attack drones at U.S. warships over 170 times, and at commercial vessels 145 times since 2003,” Parnell pointed out.
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Following first major military action in new term, Trump gives ultimatum to Iran added by Editor Two on March 19, 2025
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