Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a media interview that the U.S. military will continue tactical actions against the Iran-backed Houthis until they stop aggressively acting against U.S. ships in the region.
Hegseth made his comments after President Donald J. Trump ordered U.S. Central Command to conduct several airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen on March 15, 2025.
"Freedom of navigation is fundamental, it is a fundamental national interest," Hegseth said, adding that the current campaign is not only about freedom of navigation but also about restoring deterrents in the region.
"The moment the Houthis say, 'We're going to stop shooting at your ships. [a] we will stop shooting at your drones,' this campaign will end, but until then it will be relentless," he continued.
Hegseth also said the airstrikes are intended to draw attention to Iran.
"The message to Iran is clear... Your support for the Houthis must end immediately. We will hold you accountable as a sponsor of this proxy organization, and I join [President] Statement, [that] we won't be nice to you." Hegseth said.
The Houthis have been acting aggressively in the Red Sea area since October 2023, when a U.S. Navy destroyer had to intercept three land-based cruise missiles fired by the Houthis toward Israel.
Since then, the Houthis have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks targeting U.S. and allied ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, causing many merchant ships to change their routes to avoid the region, costing them huge commercial costs.
Hegseth likened the severe economic impact of Houthi aggression in the region to, "that we are hostages of a terrorist organization", and then pointed out that the Trump administration had indeed identified Houthi as such.
"For Houthi: it was not [airstrikes] a one-night affair... It's about stopping the shooting of assets in this critical waterway to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a key national interest of the United States," Hegseth said, before reiterating that Iran must 'step back' from allowing the Houthis to operate.
Hegseth said Iran and its other military proxies - including Hamas and Hezbollah - are in a "weakened state."
"But that doesn't mean they don't still have the desire [after the aggression]," he said, adding that Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
"Iran needs to get this clear message and negotiate an end to their pursuit of a nuclear weapon because ... President Trump has made it clear that they will not get the bomb," Hegseth said.
pentagon/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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