Cabinet secretaries and other top officials in the Trump Administration stood four-square behind President Donald Trump as they all hit the airwaves on Sunday morning, in asserting that US forces will continue to bomb Houthi assets in Yemen until the terrorists cease their military operations.
“No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World,” Trump wrote in a TruthSocial post on Saturday following the start of the airstrikes on Houthi assets.
The White House said Sunday morning that multiple Houthi leaders were killed in Saturday night’s hours-long series of airstrikes that opened the “gates of hell” that Trump had promised if the Iranian-backed terrorists did not stop attacking ships transiting the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
“President Trump is taking action against the Houthis to defend US shipping assets and deter terrorist threats,” the White House wrote in a post on X. “For too long American economic & national threats have been under assault by the Houthis. Not under this presidency.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News on Sunday that in the last 18 months, the Houthis have attacked the US Navy 174 times, and attacked commercial shipping 145 times.
“We have a band of pirates with guided precision anti-ship weaponry exacting a toll system in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. That’s just not sustainable,” Rubio said. “We will not allow the Houthis to control maritime traffic. Our strikes will continue until they lose their ability to launch attacks,” he added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned in a separate interview with Fox News on Sunday that the airstrikes will continue until the missile fire and drone strikes stop.
“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,” Hegseth said.
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
As for the Houthis’ generous patron, Iran: “Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long … they better back off,” Hegseth said.
“We hit the Houthi leadership, killing several of their key leaders last night, their infrastructure, missiles … This is essentially Al Qaeda with sophisticated Iranian-backed air defenses and anti-ship cruise missiles and drones that has attacked the entire global economy,” US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz also pointed out Sunday in an interview on Fox News.
“President Trump showed leadership and we just hit them with overwhelming force, and put Iran on notice that enough is enough with its backing of the terrorists and providing them the most sophisticated weapons that have attacked our warships dozens and dozens of times,” Waltz said.
“It is Iran that has repeatedly funded, resourced, trained and helped the Houthis target not only US warships but global commerce and it’s helped the Houthis shut down two of the world’s most strategic sea lanes. We have 70 percent of global shipping now diverting around southern Africa, adding to the cost of goods, disrupting global economies … shutting off supplies to the United States. President Trump has found it unacceptable,” Waltz said in a separate interview with ABC News.
Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, who works for US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (and for President Donald Trump, she notes), issued a separate warning to the Houthis and their Iranian backers.
This is a warning to the Houthis and all terrorists: This is not the Biden Administration. If you strike at the U.S.—President Trump will punch back.
President Trump is restoring American leadership and deterrence in the Middle East.
Thank you @ffweekend for having me. pic.twitter.com/fTYm5J5Ev8
— Morgan Ortagus (@MorganOrtagus) March 16, 2025
“This is a warning to the Houthis and all terrorists: This is not the Biden Administration. If you strike at the US — President Trump will punch back,” Ortagus emphasized in an interview with Fox News.
