Donald Trump says US "will hold Iran responsible" for repeat Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers

President Donald Trump threatened significant armed retaliation against Iran and its Houthi allies after the Yemen-based militia attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, escalating a months-long Middle East conflict that has driven global oil prices above $100 per barrel for the first time since May. The Houthis, who control parts of Yemen, said they were imposing a sea blockade on Saudi Arabia; Trump posted on his social media platform that any repeat strikes would lead the US to deem Iran accountable because the Houthis act as its proxy, and he told Axios he was weighing renewed combat operations. The US military had launched air strikes on Iran two weeks after a temporary ceasefire collapsed, and Iran responded by attacking US-linked positions in Jordan and Kuwait, according to reports, while some tankers have rerouted to avoid the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait.