Stop and Hold Everything ... The Band Blows Dixie ....
The Pentagon is sending a U.S. aircraft carrier to waters around Yemen following Iran’s deployment of seven to nine ships to the region, some carrying weapons.
The U.S. on Sunday sent the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Normandy, a guided-missile cruiser, to the Gulf of Aden, said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren on Monday.
The Pentagon said the U.S. ships are not going to the region to intercept the Iranian ships headed to Yemen.
“Certainly it’s going there because of Yemeni instability, but it’s not going there to intercept any ships,” said Warren.
He said the Roosevelt was in the Persian Gulf, but was sent through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Aden to conduct “maritime security operations,” according to Warren.
The deployment comes after The Hill reported on Friday that Iran was sending an armada of seven to nine ships — some carrying arms — potentially to resupply Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In regards to the convoy, Warren said, “We’re keeping a very close eye on maritime activities in that region.”
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/239416-us-sends-aircraft-carrier-to-yemeni-waters