Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers remarks to troops at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, Mich., on April 29, 2025. (Alexander Kubitza/U.S. Navy)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran early Thursday that it will pay a price for its support of the Yemen-based Houthi group that for more than a year has launched strikes at U.S. warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Hegseth said “LETHAL” Iranian support of the Houthis risked U.S. retaliation, in a post on the social media site X.

“We know exactly what you are doing,” Hegseth said. “You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.”

Hegseth’s comments come amid ongoing U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. The two sides are slated to meet in Rome on Saturday.

Hegseth did not specify what prompted him to issue a new warning to Iran. However, his comments come as tensions ratchet up in the area.

On Monday, a sailor was injured when an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet aboard the Truman fell overboard while operating in the Red Sea, defense officials said. An investigation into the incident is underway.

The Yemen-based Houthi group claimed Monday that it had carried out a drone and missile attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier. There were no reports of damage to U.S. ships.

Hegseth’s post directed at Iran aligns with previous statements by President Donald Trump, who said March 17 that the attacks from Yemen “all emanate from, and are created by, Iran.”

The Pentagon stepped up attacks on the Houthis with an intensified bombing campaign that began March 15. Since then, the U.S. says it has hit more than 1,000 targets.

On Wednesday, the British military launched its own airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.