U.S. warships are being deployed to Yemen to monitor ships in the area traveling from Iran and suspected of trafficking arms to Houthi rebels, American officials tell CNN. The move is also meant to reassure allies in the region, the officials said.
U.S.A. ships actually have no authority to forcibly board Iranian-flagged ships.
Earlier this month, a U.S. Navy ship consensually boarded a Panamanian-flagged vessel suspected of trafficking people, weapons or drugs. Nothing was found.
"We are closely monitoring all maritime activity in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden," Commander Kevin Stephens of the Fifth Fleet told CNN. "We not going discuss the number and types of vessels we are monitoring or speculate about the possible destination or cargo of those vessels."
U.S. warships from the carrier group of the USS Theodore Roosevelt are joining allied vessels from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other partner nations prepared to intercept a convoy of 7-9 Iranian vessels believed headed for Yemen. The allies are prepared to board Iranian vessels if they proceed into Yemeni territorial waters.
Thus article makes me a little nervous. Part of me thinks that this plan will work and intimidate them into backing down, while part of me thinks this will provoke them into attacking. I just hope verything turns out alright. This reminds me of World War II where allies were closely watching Hitler and Nazi Germany before the war officially began.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/politics/iran-united-states-warships-monitoring/index.html
This is really nerve racking because of how tense this situation can possibly be and what could be going on behind the scenes in a situation like this.
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