Tehran has condemned the US and UK military strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen, rejecting US President Donald Trump's warning against its support for the militant group which it continues to say acts independently of Iran.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed Trump's message on X, saying, "The United States government has no authority, or business, dictating Iranian foreign policy. That era ended in 1979."
Trump had ordered military action against the Houthis and warned the Houthis' main backer, Iran, to "immediately stop their support," adding, "If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!"
Araghchi also criticized the US for supporting Israel citing the Palestinian death toll in Gaza. “More than 60,000 Palestinians killed, and the world holds America fully accountable.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei echoed these sentiments, denouncing the air attacks on Houthis as a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter.
Baghaei called on the UN Security Council to address what he described as the threat to international peace and security.
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami categorically denied US accusations of Iranian control over the Houthis' actions.
"We have always declared, and we declare today, that the Yemenis are an independent and free nation in their own land and have an independent national policy," Salami stated.
"Ansarullah, as the representative of the Yemenis, makes its own strategic decisions, and the Islamic Republic of Iran has no role in setting the national or operational policies of any movement in the resistance front, including Ansarullah in Yemen," he noted.
US officials, according to the New York Times, said the strikes were intended as a warning to Iran, and Reuters reported that the strikes could continue for days or weeks.
The Houthis, who have controlled significant portions of Yemen for the past decade, have unleashed a barrage of attacks on Red Sea vessels since November 2023 following the Israeli offensive in Gaza against another Iran-backed group, Hamas in Gaza.
The attacks have massively impacted global trade and triggered a resource-intensive US military operation to counter the movement's missile and drone strikes.
US strikes in Yemen have killed at least 31, mostly women and children, according to Houthi officials, who called the attacks a "war crime."
"Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation," the Houthis' political bureau stated.
Strikes targeted Houthi strongholds in Sanaa and Taiz, and a power station in Dahyan, a location often used by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
The Pentagon cited 174 Houthi attacks on US warships and 145 on commercial vessels since 2023. According to US officials cited by Reuters, Trump has authorized a more aggressive approach than the previous Biden administration.
Outlining the challenges facing policymakers considering such action, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argued that such an action would be the opening round of a long campaign built upon decades of covert efforts and will escalate in pace and intensity.
"A preventive attack is unlikely to be a solitary event, but rather the opening round of a long campaign employing military strikes, covert action, as well as economic, informational, and other elements of national power," the report said.
The research, written by Michael Eisenstadt, said that a successful preventive strike against Iran's nuclear program requires: eliminating materials and facilities, enabling covert rebuilding disruption, securing political support, and crafting a post-strike strategy to deter Iran from rebuilding.
However, the threat of military action could prompt Iran to hide materials, complicating future strikes. It also risks pushing Iran to abandon its current nuclear hedging strategy and accelerate weaponization.
Eisenstadt suggested that the preparatory phase has already begun, citing Israel's airstrikes targeting Iranian radar systems in April and October 2024, which weakened air defenses around key nuclear and missile sites.
"A lengthy campaign would be required because key installations associated with Iran’s nuclear program are located at over a half-dozen sites," the report said, noting that some are hardened and buried, making complete destruction unlikely.
According to the research, Israeli leaders view Iran's current vulnerability as an opportunity to degrade its nuclear capabilities. "Many Israelis believe that Iran’s current weakness provides a unique opportunity to destroy, or at least set back, its nuclear program through a military strike".
US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his position that "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," expressing readiness for diplomatic engagement but suggesting military action as a last resort. He said there are "two ways of stopping [Iran], with bombs or with a written piece of paper."
The report also warned of Iran’s likely response to a possible attack, saying that it could range from measured retaliations to severe escalation, including potential withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) or further restrictions on the UN nuclear watchdog's operations in the country.
"Tehran might feel a need to respond massively to a preventive strike, although recent setbacks inflicted by Israel on its proxy forces and missile production capability may limit its ability to do so. It could also respond by withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and expelling International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors," it added.
In 2023, Iran already banned at least one third of inspectors with the UN's nuclear chief voicing frustration at Iran's intransigence.
Eisenstadt also highlighted Iran's resilience, warning that following a strike, Iran would likely attempt to rebuild its nuclear capabilities, potentially hiding clandestine facilities in civilian areas or deeply buried sites believed to be beyond the reach of Israel or the United States.
"Thus, in the aftermath of a strike, Iran will likely try to rebuild, perhaps hiding small clandestine centrifuge-enrichment and weaponization facilities in plain sight (e.g., in residential areas or civilian industrial parks), or more likely, in hardened, deeply buried facilities which it believes are beyond the reach of Israel or the United States."
It is not the first time experts warn of Iran's resilience. Last month, Sina Azodi, an expert on US-Iran relations, told the Eye for Iran podcast that Iran can easily rebuild nuclear facilities hit by air attacks.
"Once you know how to make a car, it doesn't matter how many times you get into a car accident. You can still rebuild it," he said.
The potential for clandestine rebuilding necessitates "follow-on covert action and military strikes to disrupt and delay efforts to rebuild" in the years following an initial attack, according to the Washington Institute report.
The analysis concluded that if diplomacy fails to dismantle Iran's nuclear program, policymakers must weigh the risks of a nuclear-threshold Iran against military intervention. While a strike risks triggering nuclear proliferation, it may also enable the long-term containment of a weakened Iran, Eisenstadt argued.
He said that fearing a change in its leadership, which US assurances may not alleviate, Iran might retaliate more aggressively and accelerate its nuclear program after a preventive strike.