US sends carrier to Yemen waters with eye on Iran convoy

A U.S. aircraft carrier was headed to the Arabian Sea Tuesday as Washington said it was monitoring Iranian vessels suspected of carrying weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen in violation of a U.N. embargo.


The US Navy said it was sending the USS Theodore Roosevelt and guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy "to ensure the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe."

The deployment brings to nine the number of U.S. warships in the area.

The Iranian convoy is comprised of nine ships, including two patrol boats, a senior U.S. defense official told AFP, saying its exact destination was unknown.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren denied reports the U.S. warships have orders to intercept the Iranian vessels.

Strategically located on key shipping routes and bordering oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Yemen was plunged into chaos last year when the Iran-backed Shiite rebels seized the capital Sanaa....
 AFP
 dailystar.com.lb
21/4/15
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Related:

• Yemen/UN: No ceasefire unless Houthis retreat (Gulf envoys)

• Iran sends warship to Gulf of Aden for safety of Iranian vessels (Iranian ships ‘not allowed’ in Yemeni waters)

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• UN imposes arms embargo on Yemen rebels. Russia abstained.

• Airstrikes in Yemen leave 120,000 people displaced (UN)