Rubio: Houthis 'suckered into' Iran war by Tehran, should stay out

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday accused Iran of manipulating Yemen's Houthi militia into entering the Middle East conflict, telling reporters in Manila that the group had been "suckered into" hostilities against Saudi Arabia and maritime targets after initially avoiding involvement.

'Suckered into' hostilities

Speaking to the press in the Philippines, Rubio said the Houthis had previously acted wisely by staying out of the war. "You know, the Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict, but they now apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this, going after Saudi Arabia and their ships," he said. The top US diplomat urged the militia to withdraw from the fighting, stating: "I hope that they'll stop. They shouldn't really do that. They got suckered into this by the Iranians."

Rubio expressed hope for de-escalation while warning that the situation remained volatile. "They should stay out of it, and they should stop. We'll see what happens there. Obviously, it's not a positive development. We'll see what happens," he said. Turning to Tehran, Rubio claimed Iranian leaders habitually renege on agreements, asserting that "Iran is begging" to negotiate with Washington despite being unprepared for substantive talks.

'A head for an eye'

The secretary claimed previous Iranian governments consistently violated terms or demanded revisions immediately after signing. "They're probably not ready to do a deal yet, but they will be soon because the price they're paying is very high," Rubio said, adding that Trump's approach "is a head for an eye." He warned that military pressure would intensify nightly until Iranian leaders "come to their senses," noting that Tehran is already "paying a very heavy price."