'Real pain' awaits Houthis, Iran if US ship attacks continue, Trump warns

US President Donald Trump said that attacks against Yemen's Houthi fighters will continue unless they cease posing a threat to shipping. Recently, in one of his updates on Truth Social, Trump made a warning to Iran-backed Houthis and also Tehran that there is "real pain" awaiting them. Trump stated the Houthis have a decision: cease firing at US vessels, and the US will cease firing at them. Otherwise, he warned that the US has only just begun, and the worst is yet to come, for the Houthis and their Iranian sponsors.

Attacks since March 15

The Houthis were "decimated" by "constant" attacks since March 15, Trump declared, being attacked day and night by US troops increasingly harder. He specifically asserted that US attacks will not stop until the Houthis stop threatening Freedom of Navigation.

Scandal surrounding leaked conversation

The Donald Trump government has been fighting a scandal over a leaked conversation among high-ranking US officials discussing Yemen attacks that was inadvertently leaked to a reporter. Trump has been resolute in affirming the efficacy of the US attacks on the Houthis even after the Atlantic magazine scoop that revealed top officials talking about the Yemen attacks in a Signal app chat.

White House response

Trump has called the scandal a "witch hunt," and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated that the case has been closed at the White House.