US President Donald Trump says Iran will be held responsible for attacks waged by the Houthis in Yemen.



Trump issued the warning via social media on Monday, amid rising tensions in the Red Sea region.



Trump earlier ordered US military action against the Houthis, accusing the group of waging terrorism against American and other ships, aircraft and drones in the key shipping lane.



The Houthis said they retaliated with missile and drone attacks against a US aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.



Trump claimed in his post that the Houthi attacks "all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN."



He wrote, "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." He added that Iran will suffer dire consequences.



The Pentagon says the initial wave of US strikes hit over 30 targets at multiple locations in Yemen, including training sites and weapons storage facilities. It says the operation continued on Monday and that "it will continue in the coming days."



Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the United States will use "overwhelming lethal force" until its objectives are achieved. He added, "This is about putting American interests first."



A Houthi-affiliated media outlet says the US attacks have left 53 people dead.



Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday called the US military attacks a crime and urged the international community to take action to stop what it called "the aggression."



Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei also reiterated that Iran is not involved in the Houthi attacks. He said the people of Yemen are making their own decisions on measures they deem necessary.



Baqaei commented on a letter that Tehran says it received from Trump last week. He said Iran's response "will be given through the appropriate channels" once evaluation of the correspondence is complete.



Trump says he wrote to Iran to request talks over the country's nuclear program. The attacks on the Iran-backed Houthis are seen as a means of pressuring Tehran to accept the talks. Iran is objecting to such tactics.