Washington, July 23 -- US President Donald Trump said the United States would hold Iran responsible for any future attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in the Strait of Hormuz, warning of "major military punishment" if the group targets ships again.
Trump's warning came after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for striking two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, days after announcing a naval blockade targeting Saudi vessels.
"If they do this again, the U.S. 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, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally an...