Defense Secretary Hegseth Warns Iran of “Consequences” for Houthi Support

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stern warning to Iran on Wednesday night, holding the country accountable for its support of the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen and threatening potential repercussions, Fox News reports.

“We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,” Hegseth stated in a post on X. “You know very well what the US Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.”

The warning comes amid escalating tensions in the Red Sea, where Houthi militants have been launching attacks on commercial and military vessels. Recent incidents include a Houthi drone forcing the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier to take evasive action, an incident some believe resulted in an F-18 fighter jet, valued at $67 million, falling into the Red Sea. The US military has reportedly conducted 47 consecutive days of airstrikes against Houthi targets in response to these provocations.

Secretary Hegseth amplified his message by retweeting a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump dated March 17, which directly accuses Iran of orchestrating Houthi attacks.

“Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN,” Trump wrote. “Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that the force will stop there.”

Trump further asserted that Iran is actively controlling and supplying the Houthis:

“Iran has played the ‘innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control. They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.’ Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”