- Donald Trump threatened "major military punishment" against Iran after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels bombed two Saudi oil tankers.
- Trump stated the U.S. would hold Iran responsible for the attacks, viewing the Houthis as a "Surrogate and/or Proxy" of Iran.
- The attacks, which occurred off the coast of Saudi Arabia, threaten to further disrupt global oil supply. The Houthi rebels have warned they will cut off the Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical waterway for oil, signaling a potential spread of regional conflict.
- It comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed Iran is “begging for a deal” amid escalating tensions across the Middle East, while warning that Tehran will face intensifying US strikes “every night until they come to their senses.”
- Trump also expressed disappointment with the Houthis, noting they had previously acted "very professionally and smart."
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