US President Donald Trump on Monday (March 17) blamed Iran for the Houthi attacks on American ships, warning that any further aggression would be met with "great force."

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He said that any assault by the Houthis would be treated as an act directed by Iran’s leadership, warning Tehran of severe repercussions.

'IRAN will be held responsible'

"Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN. Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

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He went on to say, "Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control. They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.’"

"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!" he warned.

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US-Houthi tensions on rise

Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed on Monday to have attacked an American aircraft carrier group twice within 24 hours. They described the assault as retaliation for US airstrikes that left dozens dead.

Also read: Yemen’s Houthis attack US aircraft carrier after Trump airstrikes kill 53

The Houthis initially stated they had fired 18 missiles and a drone at the USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the Red Sea. A few hours later, they claimed to have launched a second attack.

A Houthi spokesperson, posting on Telegram, called the strikes a response to "the continued American aggression against our country."

The US has vowed to continue its strikes on Yemen until the Houthis stop their attacks on Red Sea shipping.

According to the Houthi health ministry, US strikes on Saturday killed 53 people, including women and children, and wounded 98 others.

(With inputs from agencies)