Hegseth Warns Iran After Houthi Attack ‘You Will Pay the Consequence’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a stark, no-nonsense warning to Iran Wednesday night after a U.S. aircraft carrier was targeted in a Houthi drone assault in the Red Sea and his message was as direct as it was overdue.

“We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,” Hegseth posted 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.”

The blunt tone reflects the Trump administration’s growing frustration with Iran’s escalating proxy war tactics, which continue to cost American taxpayers, military hardware, and threaten lives all while the Biden-era appeasement strategy left our enemies emboldened and unchecked.

Hegseth’s warning follows a shocking incident earlier this week in which a Houthi drone forced the USS Harry S. Truman to take evasive action. The maneuver caused a $67 million F-18 Super Hornet and its tow tractor to plunge off the aircraft carrier and into the Red Sea a major operational loss.

The Truman has been deployed in the Red Sea since September and has been launching daily airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen since Trump escalated the military campaign on March 15. The Houthis, fully backed and armed by Iran, have stepped up their attacks in response, even boasting about hitting U.S. warships and merchant vessels in recent weeks.

President Trump made his position clear days earlier in a fiery post on Truth Social:

“Let nobody be fooled… Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”

This is a new era of accountability. Gone are the days when Iran could funnel weapons, fund terrorists, and hide behind their proxies without facing repercussions. Trump and Hegseth have drawn a line in the sand Iran is on the hook for Houthi terror.

Key takeaways:

• A U.S. fighter jet was lost due to evasive action during a Houthi drone attack.

• Iran-backed Houthis have escalated operations, claiming to strike U.S. and civilian ships.

• Trump and Hegseth have issued a united warning future attacks by Houthis will be treated as attacks by Iran and the response will be decisive.

This is the kind of leadership America lacked for four years. Biden’s weakness gave our enemies room to grow. Trump’s return has reset the table and now the gloves are off.

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