Tehran will be responsible for Houthi attacks: Trump

POTUS says Iran not ready for deal, but will soon be

If they do this again, the US will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a surrogate and/or proxy of Iran, and major military punish­ment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis themselves.

Donald Trump, US President

Washington: US President Donald Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue. Furthermore, Trump said Iran was “not ready to make a deal” over its nuclear programme despite sustained military pressure, but predicted Tehran would soon return to negotiations.

“They’re getting hit so hard, and they want to make a deal. But they’re not ready because every time they make a deal, they want to change it. They’ll be ready very soon,” Trump said at a rally in Georgia.

Reiterating Washington’s position, Trump said the US would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Trump also paid tribute to four US service members killed in the Iran war after attending a transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base.

He said expanded oil production in the US and Vene­zu­e­la had reduced Washington’s dependence on the strait, but insisted preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear arm rem­ained priority.

IRAN BEGGING FOR A DEAL: RUBIO

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday Iran was privately urging Washington to negotiate an end to the war but was still unwilling to accept a deal. “Iran is begging us, both directly and indirectly, ‘Let’s do a deal. Let’s talk,’” Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila. “The problem with Iran is every time they make a deal, people in charge either break it or want to change it. They’re not ready to make a deal.” 

Rubio accused Iran’s leadership of diverting resources to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis instead of addressing the country’s economic problems. Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Tehran would adopt an “eye for an eye” policy in response to US strikes on its infrastructure. Rubio said President Trump’s approach was “a head for an eye”. Iran “will pay a very heavy price for the things they are doing. They are already paying a heavy price.” 

On X, Iran’s Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, “In a region where we do not sell oil, no one will sell oil. If our security is not ensured, no infra will be safe, and the strait security lies in the absence of American forces. We have repeatedly said the situation in the strait will not return to pre-war conditions.” He described the conflict as an “all or none” equation.