President Donald Trump has warned that the US will hold Iran responsible for any future Houthi attacks on shipping, following reports that two Saudi vessels were attacked overnight.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the Houthis had acted “very responsibly” and “very professionally and smart” since the US launched military operations against the group a year ago over attacks on commercial shipping.
“Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night,” Mr Trump wrote.
The US President said any further attacks would be viewed as actions carried out by an Iranian proxy.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if they do this again, the US will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a surrogate and/or proxy of Iran,” he said.
Mr Trump warned that “major military punishment” would be inflicted on Iran and the Houthis if the attacks continued.
