Iran warns of retaliation for any attack after US airstrikes on Houthis

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned it will respond "decisively" to any attack, after US President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen and warned Tehran not to support them.

In a televised statement, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami condemned the US President's threat, stating that Iran does not seek war, but will respond appropriately, fiercely and decisively when threatened. He affirmed that the Houthi forces are completely independent in making strategic operational decisions.

Earlier the same day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei strongly condemned the US airstrikes, affirming that this was a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that Washington has no authority to dictate Iran's foreign policy as the West did to Tehran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Also related to the international reaction to the US attack, on March 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio calling on all parties in Yemen to refrain from using force and conduct political dialogue.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the US Secretary of State had informed the Russian side of his decision to attack. In response, Mr. Lavrov stressed the need to immediately stop the use of force and for all sides to join the political dialogue process to find a solution to prevent further bloodshed.

On March 15, US President Donald Trump announced that the US military had launched airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen's capital Sanaa. President Trump emphasized: "We will deploy overwhelming strike force against the Houthis until our objectives are achieved."

He said the US military was carrying out airstrikes against Houthi bases, leaders and missile defense systems "to protect US vessels, air and maritime assets and restore freedom of navigation".

This is the first attack by US forces on the Houthis since Donald Trump took office for his second term.

The new US strikes come shortly after the Houthis said they would target all Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden. The threat was made in protest at Israel’s refusal to allow trucks carrying aid to the Palestinians into the Gaza Strip.

Earlier this month, the US government added the Houthis to its list of "foreign terrorist organizations", banning all interactions between US entities and individuals with the force that controls many areas in Yemen.