Trump calls on Iran to stop aiding Houthis

Trump stated reports suggest that Tehran has lessened its support for the Houthis, but said Iran is “still sending large levels of Supplies”. It is unclear if the president is referring to reports from his officials, or the media.

“Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis fight it out themselves,” he said on his proprietary social media website.

“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.

The Houthi group has been attacking Israeli-linked ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones since late 2023, disrupting global trade for what it stressed was a show of solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

The group halted its attacks when a ceasefire was declared in January between Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas, but it threatened to resume the attacks when Israel blocked all humanitarian aid into Gaza on March 2.

Following the recent threats from US officials against Iran, the ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic to the UN warned that any aggressive actions would have dire consequences, for which Washington would bear full responsibility.

Amir Saeed Iravani stated in a letter to Kristina Markus Lassen, the rotating president of the UN Security Council, and Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, that the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly defends its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests against any hostile actions.

Iravani condemned the recent hostile remarks from senior US officials, including Donald Trump, against Iran, adding that the US is attempting to justify its illegal aggressive actions and war crimes against Yemen with these desperate claims and has clearly threatened to use force against Iran.

US President Donald Trump recently ordered a new round of US military attacks against Yemen and threatened to attack Iran for its support of Yemenis.

The Iranian ambassador called on the UN Security Council to take a clear and principled stance in condemning these provocative statements and to urge the United States to adhere to its commitments under the UN Charter.

In the letter from Iran’s envoy, it was stated that the Houthis and Yemeni officials operate independently in their decision-making and actions, emphasizing that their operations are in support of the people of Gaza and in response to the violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.