President Donald Trump ordered heavy attacks on Houthi terrorists in Yemen on Saturday. That marked a sharp turn from the last administration's strategy, which left the Suez Canal unusable by American-flagged ships.
The Houthis, a radical Islamist group that is allied with Iran, have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since October 7th, 2023, as a show of solidarity with Hamas. That has led to global economic disruptions and rises in prices because ships are being forced around the entirety of Africa to avoid the terrorists.
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Trump has decided enough is enough, and in a blistering statement, he explained the goal of the strikes while embarrassing Joe Biden in the process.
🚨 Statement from @POTUS: pic.twitter.com/Ywl3LONxlW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 15, 2025
Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.
Joe Biden's response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going. 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. The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times. Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.
The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which International Trade and Commerce depends.
Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists' bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom. No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.
It is astonishing that Biden allowed a relatively weak terrorist group, which has no ability to stop U.S. military strikes, essentially take control of the world's most important shipping lane. Access to the Suez Canal is crucial for the global economy. Yet, the last president decided to surrender, refusing to take any large-scale action to regain control of the seas. As Trump notes, an American ship has not been able to pass through the route unscathed in over a year. That's unacceptable.
Whether the Europeans will put their egos to the side and offer support for Trump's action will be interesting to see. They benefit from shipping being able to enter the Mediterranean Sea from the east as much as anyone. Perhaps this could help soften some of the current trade negotiations going on. There is a lot of money to be saved by many European nations by making the route to the Suez Canal safe again.
Trump wrapped up his statement by laying down the law with Iran.
To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON'T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!
To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!
Iran would be wise to sit back and shut up at this point. Their proxies are collapsing, and if the Mullahs plan on garnering anything but a total economic collapse, they should not try to stand in the way of what America is doing. As to the Houthis, they only understand force, and that's exactly what they are getting.
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