Trump: US Will Hold Iran Responsible for Any Further Houthi Attacks
Trump said the US will hold Iran responsible for any further Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping after two Saudi oil tankers were hit, raising the stakes for oil and defense trades.
President Donald Trump said Washington will hold Iran directly responsible for any further Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, escalating an already tense Middle East backdrop for oil and risk assets. The warning came after the Yemen-based group said its forces struck a pair of Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea.
What Trump actually said
In a Truth Social post, Trump noted the US had attacked the Houthis “very powerfully” a year ago for disrupting global trade, and said that since then, and during the current conflict with Iran, the group had “acted very responsibly.”
He added that if the Houthis strike again, the US 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.”
The tanker attack that triggered it
The Houthi-aligned SABA News Agency reported the group carried out the attack on the tankers “ENCELIA” and “LAYLA” using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. It marked the first known attacks since the militant group announced a blockade of Saudi ships attempting to go through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday.
The Institute for the Study of War said at least seven vessels had changed course to avoid transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in light of the Houthis’ blockade on Saudi ports.
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Why this matters for markets
Together with the Iranian military’s restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthi crackdown on Saudi shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait threatens to further jolt energy markets.
In 2023, roughly 29.6 million barrels traveled through the passageways combined, accounting for about 28 percent of the world’s oil consumption that year, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Any sustained closure or rerouting means higher freight rates, longer voyage times, and a fresh bid under crude.
The Iran-backed Houthis’ tanker attacks were the group’s first for several months and open a new front in the US-Iran conflict that has already disrupted global energy supplies and rattled bond markets. For traders, that means the war premium in oil is no longer just a Hormuz story.
Options market and stocks to watch
Watch for continued flow and volatility in energy and defense names tied to the Red Sea escalation:
- XOM: Watch for how integrated majors trade any oil spike from further tanker strikes or a broader US response.
- CVX: Watch for upside sensitivity if Brent extends on Bab el-Mandeb disruption headlines.
- LMT: Watch defense primes for bid on any expanded US strike posture against Iran and the Houthis.
- RTX: Watch for missile and air-defense demand narratives if the campaign broadens.
- USO: Watch the crude proxy for immediate reaction to Red Sea and Hormuz headlines.
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