President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States would respond if Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels follow through on threats to blockade shipping and energy exports from Saudi Arabia. “So far, it hasn’t happened, might happen, but we take care of things,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office while meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. “If something like that happens, we take care of it. You know, we’ve done that with the Houthis before, and we haven’t heard from them in a while since we did what we did originally.”

The warning came after the Houthis announced what they called a “maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy,” raising fears of renewed instability in one of the world’s most important shipping corridors. The threat also risks unraveling a ceasefire brokered by Oman in May 2025 between the United States and the Houthis. That agreement halted Houthi attacks on American vessels but did not cover Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea.

Trump pointed to the success of his administration’s earlier military campaign against the Houthis, saying it restored deterrence after months of attacks on commercial shipping. “That was about 45 days of very powerful action we took against the Houthis, and we’ve had no problem with the Houthis,” Trump said. “They’ve had no problem with us for a long period of time, including during this conflict. I think that if there is something like that, we’ll just have to take care of business.”

Between March and May 2025, U.S. forces carried out an extensive air campaign targeting the Iranian-backed terrorist group after repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Pentagon said more than 1,000 Houthi targets were struck, including missile sites, drone facilities, military infrastructure and senior militant leaders, The Hill reported.

The Red Sea remains one of the world’s most critical maritime routes, carrying roughly 15% of global shipping traffic. The Houthis issued their latest threat after a strike on Sanaa International Airport, which they blamed on Saudi Arabia. The internationally recognized Yemeni government, backed by Riyadh, claimed responsibility for the attack. In response, the Houthis launched strikes toward a Saudi airport in Abha, escalating tensions.

Trump’s comments underscore the administration’s determination to keep vital shipping lanes open and to deter Iranian-backed proxy groups from disrupting global commerce and regional security.