Iran has strongly condemned statements from US President Donald Trump and senior American officials, calling their remarks "reckless and provocative" in a letter addressed to the United Nations Security Council on Monday, according to Reuters . The letter, penned by Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, rejected what he described as "baseless accusations" against Tehran and denounced US threats of military action. "Iran strongly and categorically rejects any accusation on the violation of relevant Security Council resolutions on arms embargoes in Yemen or involvement in any destabilizing activities in the region," Iravani wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Reuters . The diplomatic protest follows a warning from Trump, who on Monday vowed to hold Iran accountable for any attacks launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. His warning came as the US expanded its largest military operation in the Middle East since Trump returned to office. "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!" Trump stated on his Truth Social platform. The White House reinforced Trump’s message, emphasizing that Iran should take US warnings seriously. Meanwhile, the Pentagon reported that over 30 Houthi targets in Yemen had been struck, with officials vowing to continue using "overwhelming lethal force" until the Houthis cease their attacks. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stressed that the military campaign was not aimed at regime change. According to the Houthi-run health ministry, the US-led strikes have killed at least 53 people, including five children and two women, and left 98 others wounded, though those figures cannot be independently verified. Monday’s warning from Iran came a day after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed a "decisive" retaliation against any attack. In a televised address, IRGC commander Hossein Salami said that "Iran will not wage war, but if anyone threatens, it will give appropriate, decisive and conclusive responses." Salami also defended the Houthis, describing them as "the representative of the Yemenis" and emphasizing that the group makes its "strategic and operational decisions" independently. Related articles: Iran threatens 'decisive' response US imposes sanctions on Iranian Minister, shipping vessels 'No negotiations, do whatever the hell you want' Iran open to talks on nukes - but only on militarization It has long been believed that Iran is planning to use the Houthis to take over Yemen and seize the key strategic port of Aden , which controls the entrance to the Red Sea and ultimately to the Israeli resort city of Eilat. Iran has denied accusations that it provided the Houthi rebels with ballistic capabilities, even after the US Navy seized an Iranian weapons shipment bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
