President Donald Trump gave the green light to the US military to hail a barrage of missiles upon Yemen, and now Iran has issued a response.
The strikes claimed the lives 31 Yemenis, and injured 101 more.
It came as Trump threatened to unleash hell on Houthi rebels, and following what he labeled as ‘decisive and powerful military action against’ the Iranian-backed rebel group.
They are an armed political and religious group that emerged in the 90s and champion the Zaidis – Yemen’s Shia Muslim minority.
Now, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, has slammed the US for using such force against the Yemen people – denouncing Trump’s actions as a ‘gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter’.
In a statement, he said they ‘strongly condemned the brutal air strikes by the US‘.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also condemned the attack, stating the Trump administration had ‘no authority’ to dictate its foreign policy.
A plume of smoke billows during a US strike on Yemen’s Huthi-held capital Sanaa (MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the rebels spoke on national television informing residents that they were readying to attack the US in response.
“Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation,” they said in a statement statement on their Al-Masirah TV station – founded by the Houthi movement.
Over on the Houthi Ansarollah website, its admin slammed the ‘criminal brutality’ ordered by officials in Washington DC, describing them as ‘US-British aggression’.
The strikes came in response to the rebel group’s piracy, with its members frequently attacking cargo-ships that dare to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump explained why he opted to take drastic action.
The US’ airstrikes hit the Yemen communites of Saada, Sanaa, Dhamar, as Trump explained it was in retaliation to the Houthi movements frequent attacks on cargo ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait (Efnan Ipsir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones,” he said.
While the 78-year-old Republican also issued a warning to Houthi members: “YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!
“Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”
