US keeps eye on Iran ships in Yemen

A resident carries his belongings after his family house was hit during a raid by Saudi-led coalition warplanes on a nearby missile depot on Fajj Attan hill, in the rebel-held part of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on April 20, 2015. PHOTO | MOHAMMED HUWAIS |

What you need to know:

  • Washington sends aircraft carrier to Arabian Sea to monitor vessels ‘carrying’ weapons for Huthi rebels.
  • Monday attack death toll rises to 38.

SANAA

A US aircraft carrier was headed to the Arabian Sea on Tuesday as Washington said it was monitoring Iranian vessels suspected of carrying weapons to Huthi rebels in Yemen in violation of a UN 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 US warships in the area.

The Iranian convoy comprises nine ships, including two patrol boats, a senior US defence official said, adding that its exact destination was unknown.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren denied reports the US 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.

A coalition of Sunni Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia launched an air campaign against the rebels last month, vowing to restore the authority of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled to Riyadh as the rebels advanced on his southern refuge Aden.

The United States says it is not taking part directly in the strikes, but is providing intelligence and logistical support.

US officials said that if an interception of the Iranian vessels proved necessary, it would likely be carried out by warships of the Saudi-led coalition.

One said the convoy had passed through the Strait of Hormuz to leave the Gulf and was now headed west, potentially towards Yemen.

Saudi-led warplanes pressed their air strikes against the rebels and their allies in the security forces overnight as the civilian death toll from a Monday raid on a missile depot in the capital rose to 38.

A further 532 people were wounded when the twin strikes sparked powerful explosions that flattened nearby houses, medics said.

The base belongs to the missile brigade of the elite Republican Guard, which remains loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh who has been accused of siding with the Huthis in their fight against Hadi’s forces.