U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran on Wednesday that it will face consequences for supporting the Houthis, a group that controls northern Yemen and has struck shipping in the Red Sea in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians.
Hegseth's warning comes even as the United States has relaunched talks with Iran over its nuclear program. U.S. and Iranian negotiators will reconvene in Rome on Saturday.
"Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to the Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing," Hegseth wrote on X. "You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of, and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing."
Hegseth, on his personal X account, later re-posted a Trump message on Truth Social from March in which the president said he would hold Iran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Houthi group. Iran's leader has previously said that Yemen's Houthis act independently.
The United States has carried out strikes against more than 1,000 targets since it ramped up strikes against the group in March.
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The U.S. military has surged assets in recent weeks to reinforce the Middle East. The Pentagon has deployed six B-2 bombers to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia -- which experts say is an ideal position to operate in the Middle East.
Additionally, the U.S. currently has two aircraft carriers in the Middle East and has moved air defense systems from Asia to the region.