Trump Threatens More Attacks on Iran After Houthis Join War

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(Bloomberg) — US President Donald Trump said he’ll hold Iran responsible for any further attacks by the Yemen-based Houthis on Red Sea ships, potentially widening Washington’s involvement in a Middle East war that shows no sign of abating.

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The Iran-backed Houthis earlier claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, the group’s first for several months and opening a new front in the US-Iran conflict that has already disrupted global energy supplies and rattled bond markets.

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The developments helped push oil prices up further, with Brent crude jumping more than 6% on Thursday to $100 a barrel, a level it’s not touched in almost two months. Since July 10, around when the latest US-Iran flare-up began, it’s gained more than 30%.

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“If they do this again, the US will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves.”

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A day earlier, Trump threatened to escalate airstrikes against Iran — now into their second week — saying American forces will destroy one bridge or power plant each time Tehran shoots at vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has warned it will attack infrastructure and bridges in the region, including energy facilities, if Trump follows through. 

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The resurgence of the US-Iran conflict shows little sign of easing, with neither Washington nor Iran backing down or saying it’s time for new negotiations. The attacks by the Houthis have intensified the conflict, even if hostilities remain less intense than during the height of the war in March and early April.

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The Houthis said they targeted the Saudi tankers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones. The Saudi government confirmed an attack on one refined-products tanker, called the Encelia. The British navy said a tanker was struck in the southern part of the sea near the Saudi town of Al Shuqaiq in the southern part of the sea.

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The Houthis said the second vessel was named Layla, which is a crude-oil carrier.

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While it’s unclear if the ships were damaged, the move could effectively close another maritime chokepoint vital to energy markets, following Iran’s shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz. Some vessels are already avoiding the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, with oil prices rising further.

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The US carried out its 12th consecutive day of airstrikes on Iranian military sites overnight, including missile and air-defense facilities. Iranian state TV reported one attack on the passenger terminal at the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq, killing two people. Iran again fired upon US bases and military sites in Kuwait and Jordan.

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Trump said Wednesday that Iran is “getting hit so hard” but added he isn’t at the point of seriously considering fresh talks.