Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened Iran over its support for Yemen’s Houthi militants, telling the country that it “will pay the consequence.”
“Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing,” the Defense secretary said in a post on the social platform X late Wednesday.
Hegseth’s Wednesday comments are similar to words from President Trump last month in which he demanded that Tehran stop giving weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
“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,” Trump said in a Truth Social post at the time.
“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,” he added.
Earlier this month, U.S. forces struck a major fuel port in western Yemen that was used for Houthi resources. American forces have recently targeted the Houthis as part of an air campaign that began in March.
“Today, U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue,” a previous statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.