Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned of a “decisive” response to any attack following US President Donald Trump’s air strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels and his demand for Tehran to end its support for the group.
Trump on Saturday announced that the US had launched “decisive and powerful military action” to counter the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping. Issuing a stark warning to the middle eastern country, Trump demanded that its backing of the rebels “must end immediately.” The strikes resulted in 31 deaths, according to a Houthi health official.
Speaking on Sunday, Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami rejected Trump’s warnings, stating in a televised speech: “Iran will not wage war, but if anyone threatens, it will give appropriate, decisive and conclusive responses.” He described the Houthis as “the representative of the Yemenis” and insisted that they made their “strategic and operational decisions” independently.
This latest escalation comes against the long-standing tensions between the two nations. During Trump’s first term, in January 2020, the US killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Guards’ foreign operations unit, in a drone strike in Baghdad. Iran responded by launching missile attacks on bases in Iraq housing American and coalition troops. While no US personnel were killed, Washington reported that dozens suffered traumatic brain injuries.
Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the US air strikes, calling them a “brutal” act and a “gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter.”
Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, also took aim at Washington, saying it had “no authority” over Iran’s foreign policy.
“The United States Government has no authority, or business, dictating Iranian foreign policy,” Araghchi wrote on X, urging the US to “stop the killing of Yemeni people.” He added that the era of Washington influencing Tehran’s decisions ended with the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Houthis, who have controlled large parts of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the so-called “axis of resistance,” an alliance of pro-Iran factions that strongly oppose both Israel and the United States. The group has carried out attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, citing solidarity with Palestinians.
Saturday’s US air strikes marked the first American military action against the Houthis since Trump’s return to the White House in January.