Trump warns the "real pain is yet to come" for Houthis and Iran
Washington DC - President Donald Trump vowed Monday that strikes on Yemen's Houthis will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping, warning the rebels and their Iranian backers of "real pain" to come.
Trump's threat on the Truth Social network comes as his administration battles a scandal over a chat between senior US officials on the Yemen strikes that was accidentally leaked to a journalist.
It also comes amid a sharpening of Trump's rhetoric towards Tehran, with the president threatening that "there will be bombing" if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program.
"The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran," said Trump.
Trump added that the Houthis had been "decimated" by "relentless" strikes since March 15, saying that US forces "hit them every day and night – Harder and harder."
"Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation," he said on his social network.
In recent days, Trump has repeatedly insisted on what he calls the success of the US strikes on the Houthis whenever he is asked about the so-called "Signalgate" scandal that has rocked his administration.
The Atlantic magazine revealed last week that its editor was mistakenly included in a chat on the commercially available Signal app as top officials discussed the Yemen strikes.
White House brushes off "Signalgate" scandal
The officials, including Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, revealed details of air strike timings and intelligence.
Trump has rejected calls to sack Waltz or Hegseth and branded the scandal a "witch hunt."
"This case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
Waltz and Hegseth both reposted Trump's Truth Social message about the Houthis on Monday.
Cover photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP