Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander, Hossein Salami, warned on Sunday that Iran would deliver a “decisive and devastating” response to any enemy that acts on its threats.
Speaking at a ceremony in Urmia, Salami also asserted that Yemen’s Houthis operate independently and take full responsibility for their actions. His remarks followed U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis on Saturday, ordered by President Donald Trump in response to the group’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Trump, in a statement on Truth Social, warned Iran—the Houthis’ main backer—to cease its support for the group immediately. “America will hold you fully accountable, and we won’t be nice about it,” he wrote. He also cautioned the Houthis that if their attacks continued, “hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”
Salami dismissed claims of Iranian control over the Houthis, stating, “Yemenis are a free and independent nation… Ansar Allah, as the representative of the Yemenis, makes its own strategic and operational decisions.”
The strikes, which a U.S. official told Reuters could continue for weeks, mark the most extensive U.S. military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January. The escalation comes as Washington increases economic pressure on Tehran while seeking renewed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
