U.S. to Houthis: 'Attacks will not end anytime soon, strikes will continue'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on March 13, 2025. Speaking with resolve, Hegseth warned the Iran-backed group that Saturday’s deadly operation—which killed at least 31 people, according to the Houthi-run health ministry—was not a one-off event. “The moment the Houthis say, ‘We’ll stop firing on your ships, stop targeting your drones,’ this campaign will end. Until then, it will be relentless,” he pledged.

The Saturday strikes, the largest U.S. military action in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January, underscored Washington’s escalating response to Houthi aggression. The rebels condemned the attacks as a “war crime” and vowed to retaliate with heightened force. Meanwhile, Russia urged the U.S. to cease its bombardments and pursue dialogue, even as Trump pressures Moscow for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine—a proposal Russia has rebuffed without revised terms.

Iran, widely seen as the Houthis’ chief patron, issued a fiery counterthreat. The commander of its Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, told state media, “We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and devastatingly if they act on their threats.” This came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly linked the strikes to Tehran, stating, “The Houthis couldn’t do this without Iranian backing. This was a message to Iran: Stop supporting them, or you’ll bear responsibility for their attacks on naval vessels and global shipping.”

The U.S. strikes are part of a broader strategy to curb Houthi disruptions in vital maritime routes, a campaign Rubio framed as a direct warning to Tehran’s regional ambitions. As tensions simmer, Iran’s defiant rhetoric and the Houthis’ promised escalation signal a volatile standoff, with the U.S. showing no signs of backing down until its demands are met. The Middle East braces for what could be a prolonged and perilous clash.