Trump Vows Military Retaliation Against Iran and Houthis After Red Sea Tanker Attacks

Washington DC. US President Donald Trump has warned Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels of severe military punishment after two Saudi oil tankers were attacked in the Red Sea. The Houthi group has claimed that they attacked the tankers with missiles and drones. 

This incident has spread the West Asian conflict to another important maritime trade route. Concerns about the impact on global oil supply after this attack have caused a sharp rise in crude oil prices in the international market. Brent crude prices rose by more than 6 percent, exceeding 100 US dollars per barrel. This is the first time Brent prices have reached this level since May.

Two weeks after the temporary ceasefire became ineffective, the US military launched airstrikes on Iranian military targets for the 13th consecutive night. 

In response, Iran has fired missiles towards neighboring Arab countries where US military bases are located. According to Iranian state media, missile attacks also occurred on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television reported that 4 people were killed and five injured in the Iranian city of Ahvaz in the US missile attack.

Trump said on social media that if the Houthis carry out similar attacks again, Iran will be held responsible. According to him, the Houthis are representatives of Iran. Therefore, any future attacks will be answered with military action against both Iran and the Houthis. He told the news agency Axios that he is close to deciding to restart a large military operation against Iran and that Iran has not yet suffered enough.

The Houthis, on the other hand, have announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. To bypass the blockade imposed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has been sending millions of barrels of oil daily through pipelines to the Red Sea. Trump claimed on social media that compensation for all future damages to cargo ships will be recovered from Iranian assets frozen in the US. However, he has not disclosed the process.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, responding to Trump's statement, warned that seizing the assets of any country for unrelated claims would set a very dangerous precedent. He stated that if such actions become a common practice, it will lead to global chaos. 

According to sources from Iran and Yemen who spoke to Reuters, Iran had sent commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, military advisors, and missile and drone-related equipment to Yemen a few days before the Houthis announced the blockade. 

The Houthi group has denied this claim. The Houthis have claimed that their forces attacked two Saudi oil tankers named Ancelia and Laila with missiles and drones.