US WARSHIP HEADS TO YEMENI WATERS; COULD BLOCK IRAN WEAPONS
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a stepped-up response to Iranian backing of Shiite rebels in Yemen, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming toward the waters off Yemen to beef up security and join other American ships that are prepared to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi rebels.
The deployment comes after a U.N. Security Council resolution approved last week imposed an arms embargo on leaders of the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels. The resolution passed in a 14-0 vote with Russia abstaining.
Navy officials said Monday that the Roosevelt was moving through the Arabian Sea. A massive ship that carries F/A-18 fighter jets, the Roosevelt is seen more of a deterrent and show of force in the region.
The U.S. Navy has been beefing up its presence in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Arabian Sea in response to reports that a convoy of about eight Iranian ships is heading toward Yemen and possibly carrying arms for the Houthis. Navy officials said there are about nine U.S. warships in the region, including cruisers and destroyers carrying teams that can board and search other vessels.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_IRAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Well -- I guess we'll see what happens with this -- will Obama actually come out and draw a red line like old Kennedy or Reagan would, and tell Iran that its ships will be boarded and any weapons seized, or is it a paper tiger move and the US Navy will just sit there and watch if Iran calls the bluff and tries to port and offload the weapons for the Houthis?
Whole thing is confusing, Obama has us giving the Iranian Revolutionary Guard air support in Iraq / Syria, and he's trying to convince us on this nuke deal for Iran, and then on the other hand he sends an aircraft carrier battle group out to intercept the Iranian Navy.
Thoughts?