An expert suggests that Iran is attempting to reinforce its weakened deterrent capability by responding to President Trump’s threats against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. This comes after an Iranian general vowed a strong and destructive response to any threats following U.S. strikes against the Houthis, according to Digital.

According to Reuters, Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned enemies that Iran would respond decisively and destructively if they acted on their threats. This followed U.S. strikes over the weekend against the Tehran-backed group. The Associated Press reported that Salami also denied Iranian involvement in Houthi attacks on U.S. Navy ships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. 

Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran program, told Digital on Tuesday that Tehran’s tough talk aims to strengthen its diminished deterrent and persuade President Trump to separate Iran from its proxies, especially given the regime’s current vulnerable state. 

He added that, revealing the regime’s weakness, Tehran is also trying to minimize its connections with the Houthis, despite having spent over a decade building up their military capabilities to a state level. 

 

Previously, Trump stated that every shot fired by the Houthis would be regarded as a shot fired with the weapons and under the direction of Iran, holding Iran responsible for the consequences, which would be severe. 

Trump posted on Truth Social, saying that the hundreds of attacks by the Houthis, who he described as sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen and disliked by the Yemeni people, all originate from and are created by Iran. He warned that any further attack or retaliation by the Houthis would be met with great force, with no guarantee of where that force would stop.  

He continued, stating that Iran is falsely portraying itself as an innocent victim of rogue terrorists it has supposedly lost control of, but in reality, Iran is dictating every move, providing weapons, money, sophisticated military equipment, and even “intelligence.” 

U.S. Central Command announced on Saturday that it had initiated a series of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation.   

Trump also stated on Truth Social Saturday that he had ordered the U.S. Military to launch decisive and powerful military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.

Trump added that it has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden. He claimed that the last American warship to pass through the Red Sea, four months prior, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times.  

’ Taylor Penley, Andrea Margolis and Lucas Y. Tomlinson contributed to this report. 

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