US defense secretary Pete Hegseth urged public messaging emphasizing Iran's support of the Houthis in texts leaked to an American journalist, saying the public was largely ignorant about the Yemeni militia.
"I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what - nobody knows who the Houthis are - which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded," Hegseth allegedly wrote according to a screenshot published by The Atlantic magazine.
Democrats in Washington have expressed outrage over the inclusion of a prominent journalist from The Atlantic in a conversation among senior officials over commercial messaging app Signal about plans for a military campaign against the the Houthis.
But President Donald Trump and senior aides have swatted away the criticism, saying no classified information was discussed as dismissing the Atlantic as a partisan publication.
Following the administration's reaction, The Atlantic published a lengthy transcript from the chat in which officials discussed the public framing of the campaign.
Washington launched dozens of air strikes on March 16 against the Iran-backed Houthi group that local authorities say killed at least 31 people.
Following an attack by Iran-backed Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israel's incursion into Gaza, the Houthis began attacking commercial and military vessels in the waterways astride Yemen in what they called solidarity with Palestine.
The group seized control of much of the war-torn country in 2014 and has been provided advanced drone and missile technology by Iran.
Addressing Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth's reported comments in the group chat emphasize the administration's hawkish stance on the Islamic Republic and criticism of Trump's predecessor Joe Biden as too soft on Tehran.
A goal of the campaign, Hegseth said according to The Atlantic, was to "Reestablish deterrence, which Biden cratered."
Trump has demanded Tehran come to a deal over its nuclear program or face a military intervention and warned any attack by the Houthis would be treated as emanating from Iran.
Tensions with the Houthis and Tehran are ramping up and the US military deployed to an Indian Ocean air base in the last 48 hours a squadron of heavy bombers, cargo plans and refueling tankers according to a defense news outlet.
