President Trump said Thursday he is “disappointed” in the Houthis, an Iran-backed faction in Yemen, for shooting at two Saudi oil tankers and vowed to punish the militants and their Tehran sponsors if they strike again.
The president said he attacked the Houthis when they caused trouble for commercial shipping last year and, “since that time, and during our conflict with Iran, they have acted very responsibly.
“Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night,” Mr. Trump said on social media.
The Houthis on Wednesday claimed responsibility for attacks on two tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea, signaling they are willing to follow through on threats to blockade Saudi ports.
Mr. Trump said if they attack one more ship, “major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis themselves, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart.”
Attacks in the Red Sea open a volatile new front in the U.S. conflict with Iran, which had centered on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran clamped down on oil traffic in the strait in response to the U.S.-Israel bombing campaign that began on Feb. 28.
Mr. Trump wants to thwart Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Disruptions in the Red Sea caused Brent crude oil prices to spike about 5% to $99 per barrel.
The average U.S. price of gas stood at $4.09 on Thursday, up from $3.94 a week ago and a 37% increase from the start of the war on Feb. 28, according to the AAA motor club.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling in Asia, said the Houthis need to stand down.
“I hope that will de-escalate because I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the Iranians,” he said. “They should stay out of it.”
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