Iran's leader warns US could receive 'severe slaps' following Trump's threats to Houthis
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Friday that the U.S. could receive "severe slaps" if they act "with malice" following President Donald Trump's threats to Yemen's Houthis, a report said. Americans "make a big mistake and call regional resistance centers Iranian proxies. What does proxy mean?" Khamenei said, according to Reuters. "The Yemeni nation has its own motivation and the resistance groups in the region have their own motivations. Iran doesn't need proxies." "They issue threats," Khamenei reportedly added, claiming that "we have never started a confrontation or conflict with anyone." "However, if anyone acts with malice and initiates it, they will receive severe slaps," he was quoted by Reuters as saying. IRAN'S REACTION TO TRUMP'S HOUTHI THREATS, EXPLAINED Trump said Monday that "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!" "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," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "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 VINDICATED AS EXPLOSIVE REPORT CONFIRMS IRAN SUPERVISES HOUTHI 'POLITICAL AND MILITARY AFFAIRS' "Iran has played 'the innocent victim' of rogue terrorists from which they've lost control, but they haven't lost control," he continued. "They're dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, "Intelligence.'" U.S. Central Command said Saturday it had "initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation." Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday that he "ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen." Fox News' Taylor Penley, Andrea Margolis and Lucas Y. Tomlinson contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
14 minutes ago
- Politico
GOP lawmakers stick with Trump in messy Musk breakup
Amid the messy ongoing divorce between the president and the world's richest man, this much is already clear: Donald Trump has sole custody of the House GOP. Republican lawmakers are making clear that, if forced to choose, it's Trump — not Elon Musk — they're sticking by as leaders race to contain the fallout for their 'one big, beautiful bill.' Even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who helms a House panel inspired by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency initiative, blasted Musk's public attacks on Trump as 'unwarranted' and criticized his 'lashing out on the internet.' 'America voted for Donald Trump on Nov. 4, 2024 — every single vote mattered just as much as the other,' Greene said in a brief interview. 'And whether it was $1 that was donated or hundreds of millions of dollars, the way I see it, everybody's the same.' Like many Americans, GOP members watched Thursday's online exchange with a sense of car-crash-like fascination. Many shared that they hoped Musk and Trump could somehow patch things up. But many — including some of the former DOGE chief's biggest backers on Capitol Hill — were wholly unsurprised to see the billionaire suddenly cut down to size after months of chatter about who was really calling the shots at the White House. 'It's President Trump, not President Musk,' said one lawmaker granted anonymity to speak frankly about prevailing opinions inside the House GOP. Speaker Mike Johnson made no secret of where he stands on the public breakup. He told reporters Friday that he hoped the two men 'reconcile' and that it would be 'good for the party and the country if all this worked out.' But in the nearly same breath, Johnson quickly reaffirmed his allegiance to the president and issued a warning to Musk. 'Do not doubt, do not second-guess and don't ever challenge the president of the United States, Donald Trump,' Johnson said. 'He is the leader of the party. He is the most consequential political figure of this generation and probably the modern era. And he's doing an excellent job for the people.' Other House Republicans concurred with the speaker's assessment Friday, even as they faced the looming threat of Musk targeting them in the upcoming midterms or at least pulling back on his political giving after pouring more than $250 million into the 2024 election on behalf of Trump and the GOP ticket. 'I think it's unfortunate,' said Rep. Tim Moore (R-N.C.) of the breakup. 'But Donald Trump was elected by a majority of the American people.' Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, who was one of only two Republicans to oppose Trump's megabill in the House last month, also made clear he stood with the president over Musk. 'He does not have a flight mode — he's fight, fight, fight … and he's been pretty measured,' Davidson said of Trump. 'I think Elon Musk looked a little out of control. And hopefully he gets back and grounded.' GOP leaders who have spent weeks cajoling their members to vote for the sprawling domestic-policy bill hardly hid their feelings as Musk continued to bash the legislation online, even calling on Americans to call their representatives in an effort to tank it. 'Frankly, it's united Republicans even more to go and defend the great things that are in this bill — and once it's passed and signed into law by August, September, you're going to see this economy turning around like nothing we've ever seen,' Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a brief interview Friday. 'I'll be waiting for all those people who said the opposite to admit that they were wrong,' Scalise added. 'But I'm not expecting that to happen.' A few Republicans are still trying to walk a fine line by embracing both Trump and Musk — especially some fiscal hawks who believe Musk is right about the megabill adding trillions to the national debt. 'I think Elon has some valid points about the bill, concerns that myself and a handful of others were working to address up until the passage of it,' Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) said in an interview. 'I think that'll make the bill stronger. I think it'll help our standing with the American people.' Both Trump and Musk 'have paid a tremendous price personally for this country,' Cloud added. 'And them working together is certainly far better for the country.' Notably, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, a key Musk ally on the Hill, declined to engage Thursday when asked about the burgeoning feud. Instead, the Ohio Republican responded by praising the megabill Musk had moved to tank. Democrats, for their part, watched the unfolding and public breakup with surprise and a heavy dose of schadenfreude. 'There are no good guys in a fight like this,' Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). 'You just eat some popcorn and watch the show.'
The Hill
14 minutes ago
- The Hill
Freedom Caucus warns it will ‘not accept' Senate changes on green energy tax credits
The conservative House Freedom Caucus said on Friday that it would 'not accept' changes that 'water down' its cuts to green energy tax credits as the Senate weighs whether to alter the legislation. The House version of the 'big, beautiful bill' would make drastic changes to tax cuts for low-carbon energy sources passed in the Democrats' 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Climate-friendly energy projects, including wind and solar, would only be able to qualify for the credits under the House bill if they begin construction within 60 days of the bill's enactment. This brief window would likely make many projects ineligible for the credits, and is expected to significantly hamstring the development of new renewable power. In a post on social media on Friday, the Freedom Caucus warned the Senate against loosening that restriction or others included in the bill. 'We want to be crystal clear: if the Senate attempts to water down, strip out, or walk back the hard-fought spending reductions and IRA Green New Scam rollbacks achieved in this legislation, we will not accept it,' said the post, which was attributed to the Freedom Caucus's board. 'The House Freedom Caucus Board will stand united holding the line. The American people didn't send us here to cave to the swamp — they sent us here to change it,' they added. The Senate has been widely expected to consider changes that could slow the rapid elimination of the tax credit passed under the House version of Trump's 'big beautiful bill.' Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Jerry Moran (Kan.) and John Curtis (Utah) released a letter warning against a 'full scale' repeal of the tax credits. Senate Republicans can only afford three defections and pass their bill. On Friday, a group of 13 House GOP moderates released a letter calling on Senate leadership 'to substantively and strategically improve clean energy tax credit provisions' in the legislation. 'We believe the Senate now has a critical opportunity to restore common sense and deliver a truly pro-energy growth final bill that protects taxpayers while also unleashing the potential of U.S. energy producers, manufacturers, and workers,' said the letter, which was led by Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). Altogether, the letters illustrate what could be a tough task ahead of the Republican leadership as they look to find a measure that will keep at least 50 senators on board and appease the House. Emily Brooks contributed.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shift4 appoints new CEO
This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. Shift4 named founder Jared Isaacman as executive chairman after President Donald Trump abruptly dropped the executive's nomination to run NASA over the weekend, the digital processor said in a regulatory filing Thursday. "Mr. Isaacman will remain an executive officer and Class I member of the Board," the filing said. The change is effective on Thursday, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Allentown, Pennsylvania-based payments processing company had selected Shift4 President Taylor Lauber to succeed Isaacman if Trump's December nomination was confirmed by the Senate, but the chamber never voted on it. Isaacman, who has been the company's CEO and chairman since it was founded in 1999, will retain his super voting shares in Shift4, according to the filing. Lauber said during an April earnings call that Isaacman would convert his class B and class C shares into class A shares, which are worth a single vote per share. That agreement was "subject to several conditions, including the ratification and confirmation by the U.S. Senate of Mr. Isaacman's appointment as administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration," the SEC filing said. "As a result of this condition not being met, Mr. Isaacman is no longer required to reduce his voting shares." Isaacman had a 76% voting power ownership stake in Shift4, according toan April 30 proxy filing. Trump cited Isaacman's "prior associations" when he withdrew the NASA nomination. The president pulled the nomination over the Shift4 founder's past contributions to Democrats, according to a report from the New York Times. However, Isaacman suggested on a Wednesday episode o fthe All-In podcast that his ties to billionaire SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk cost him the nomination, Bloomberg reported. Musk may also have helped him win the nomination from Trump, given Isaacman's participation in past SpaceX missions. Recommended Reading Shift4 CEO likely to keep post
