Iranian General Talks a Big Game - But Iran Can't Back That Up

Iran's military has a way of talking big and acting small. In the latest episode of "Iran's Gaseous Emissions," General Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran's notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard, threatened the United States with military action over the US bombing of Houthis rebels in Yemen.

An Iranian general vowed to respond "decisively and destructively" to any threats after President Donald Trump said he ordered American forces to launch military action against Houthis in Yemen.
"We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats," Gen. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told state media following U.S. strikes over the weekend against the Tehran-backed terrorist group, according to Reuters.
"We are not a nation to live in hiding. We are a valid and legitimate system in the world. We announce it if we attack anywhere," Salami was quoted as saying by ABC News.

One is tempted to respond to General Salami's threats by saying simply, "Baloney."

U.S. Central Command, which is in charge of the region's military operations, was quick to respond.

U.S. Central Command said Saturday it had "initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation."

On Sunday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaking to Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo, had a sharp warning for Iran:

Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long….they better back off. pic.twitter.com/3NhVFKtvIK
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 16, 2025

SecDef said:

By the way, to the Houthis, this isn't a one-night thing. This will continue until you say, "We're done shooting at ships, we're done shooting at assets." We don't want a long, limited war in the Middle East. I don't, we don't care what happens in Yemen's civil war. This is about stopping the shooting at assets in that critical waterway, to re-open freedom of navigation, and to support the national interests of the United States and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long. They better back off.

The fact is if Iran chooses to mix into the Houthis efforts to close down shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, they may find it difficult to mix out again. Iran talks a big game, but we would remind them of 1988's Operation Praying Mantis when the U.S. Navy essentially destroyed the Iranian Navy; granted the U.S. Navy in 1988 was still honed by the Cold War and was rather different than it is now after four years of Biden administration malfeasance, but even so, it's enough to roughly handle anything Iran can throw its way, just as they have been doing to the Houthis rebels.

'Peace Through Strength Is Back'—SecDef Hegseth Vows 'Unrelenting' Campaign Against Houthis

Iran's General Salami isn't the only one talking tough.

"We will confront escalation with escalation," the leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, reportedly said Sunday.
"We will respond to the American enemy in its raids, in its attacks, with missile strikes, by targeting its aircraft carrier, its warships, its ships," al-Houthi added. "However, we also still have escalation options. If it continues its aggression, we will move to additional escalation options."

They don't have many escalation options. They just don't. And Iran, despite the tough talk, isn't going to be able to rush in like the cavalry in an old movie to save the Houthis. The game has changed where the United States is concerned; the Trump administration has clearly decided that shipping through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is a matter of the U.S.'s economic interest, and they are going to vigorously prosecute action to keep those lanes open. The Houthis and Iran are going to have to assimilate that fact, one way or another.

The Trump administration is showing that peace through strength is back.

Help us keep bringing you the crucial stories, and consider becoming a RedState VIP member. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership today!