Politics

'They Will Never Sink Our Ships Again!' Trump

“These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!” Trump wrote.

A video grab from the footage posted by US President Donald Trump, targeting Houthi gathering before an attack. (Photo: USG)
A video grab from the footage posted by US President Donald Trump, targeting Houthi gathering before an attack. (Photo: USG)
Middle East US President Donald Trump Iran-backed Houthis Red Sea

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The U.S. President, Donald Trump, in a post on his official Truth Social account, shared a video of a U.S. airstrike and claimed it targeted militants preparing for an attack. “These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!” he wrote.

He also added, “They will never sink our ships again!”

Reinforcing his message on his official X account, Trump declared: “The Iran-backed Houthi Terrorists have been decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks. Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us. We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation. The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.”

The United States has ramped up its air campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, launching continuous strikes aimed at crippling the Iran-aligned group’s ability to target maritime vessels in the Red Sea. The surge in operations marks the largest U.S. military action in the region since President Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025, with both Washington and Tehran trading signals of deepening confrontation.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Saturday that “Our dedicated service members of the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group are on station, launching continuous operations 24/7 against Iran-backed Houthis,” noting that American forces aboard the USS Harry S. Truman are engaged in around-the-clock aerial assaults on Houthi positions.

The campaign is intended to halt what the Pentagon describes as persistent and destabilizing attacks on international shipping lanes.

The U.S. military's Central Command, which oversees America's Mideast military operations, has not published the video, nor offered any specific details about the strikes it has conducted since March 15. The White House has said there have been over 200 strikes so far targeting the Houthis.

Reuters reported that the White House confirmed on last Tuesday that several high-ranking Houthi figures, including a prominent missile expert, had been killed in recent strikes. Since March, the U.S. has escalated its military posture, deploying additional fighter jets to the region and reinforcing naval assets in the Gulf, a move that underscores Washington’s resolve amid mounting friction with Tehran.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on Tuesday that any threats from Iran or its proxies would be met with “decisive action” to protect U.S. personnel and interests. “The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security in the CENTCOM AOR and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region,” he said.

Since October 2023, following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis have launched over 100 attacks on commercial and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea. The group claims its actions are in solidarity with Gaza. While a temporary ceasefire paused hostilities earlier this year, fighting resumed in March 2025, prompting a renewed wave of U.S. airstrikes.

Amid these developments, a senior Houthi commander has dismissed reports of waning Iranian support. General Yahya Hassan told Shafaq News that claims of an Iranian military withdrawal from Yemen were “baseless” and politically motivated.

He pointed to a recent Eid al-Fitr phone call between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Houthi leader Mahdi Al-Mashat as evidence of enduring cooperation.

“The cohesion between Iran and the Houthis is still strong, despite all the pressures that have passed on the Middle East,” Hassan said. “Military operations by the Houthis against the United States and Israel are ongoing,” he added, emphasizing that no ceasefire or negotiations are being discussed unless Israel abides by a Gaza truce.

These remarks came in response to a report published by The Telegraph, which quoted an anonymous Iranian official claiming Tehran had ordered a drawdown of its presence in Yemen to avoid direct confrontation with the U.S. That claim was unequivocally denied by the Houthis.

As the Houthis continue launching missiles and drones against Western naval vessels, and the U.S. doubles down on its military response, the Red Sea has become a flashpoint in the broader confrontation between Washington and Iran. What began as proxy posturing has now escalated into open warfare, raising alarms over a widening conflict that could drag in other regional powers.

With no truce in sight, and both sides entrenching their positions, the conflict shows every sign of intensifying in the weeks ahead.

 
 
 
Dr. Kamaran Aziz ,
Fly Erbil Advertisment