After Today's U.S. Strikes Iran Has Deployed 2 Warships To Yemen's Coast

Tasnim News Agency (Iran): Iran Dispatches Naval Flotilla to Gulf of Aden

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Navy has deployed a flotilla of warships to international waters for a mission that includes presence in the waters off the southern coasts of Yemen.

Iran’s 44th flotilla, comprising Alvand destroyer and Bushehr logistic warship, has been dispatched to the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to protect the country’s trade vessels against piracy in the unsafe zone.

The Iranian fleet will head for the waters near Somalia and Tanzania afterwards through the Indian Ocean.

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More News On Iran Deploying Warships To Yemen's Coast

Iran deploys warships off Yemen coast in the Gulf of Aden: Tasnim -- Reuters
Iran Sends Warships Off Yemeni Coast -- RFE
Iran deploys warships off Yemen after US, Houthis trade fire -- FOX News
Iran dispatches navy ships to Yemen waters -- Washington Examiner
Iranian warships deployed off Yemen coast after US bombs Houthi targets -- RT
Iran sends warships to Gulf of Aden -- Middle East Online

Will Iran Send Forces to Yemen?

Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, Asharq Al-Awsat: Will Iran Send Forces to Yemen?

When the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces was asked if his country will send military advisers to Yemen as it had to Syria, his answer came far from negative. He said that Tehran acknowledges its responsibility in both countries.

Iran has been present in Yemen before the coup against President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government last year, and its expanded presence is a major reason why Saudi Arabia built a military alliance and launched a war there, especially when Saudi Arabia confirmed its suspicions that Iran was behind the Houthis’ seizure of the capital and was sending “military consultants” and huge shipments of arms to support them.

After its proxy seized power with the help of forces loyal to Hadi’s predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, Tehran said there would be a daily flight to Sanaa, starting from one per week. Iran’s only exports to Yemen are arms and militants.

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WNU Editor: Just as Yemen has become a quagmire for Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, if Iran sends its own forces into Yemen it may become the same for them. My prediction is that Yemen is a bridge too far for Iran .... provide support to the Houthi rebels .... yes .... sending military forces .... no. Instead .... Iran will continue to focus on the two conflicts that are important to them .... Syria and Iraq.

Pentagon: Iranian Warships Escorting 'Aid Ship' To Yemen

Bloomberg: Iranian Warships Join Yemen-Bound Cargo Vessel, Pentagon Says

Two Iranian warships have linked up with a cargo vessel that Iran says is delivering humanitarian aid to Yemen, the U.S. military said.

The ships joined up late on Monday and are now about halfway down the coast of Yemen, Army Colonel Steve Warren told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday. He said the U.S. is monitoring their progress “every step of the way” and isn’t “overly concerned.” The cargo vessel is due to dock at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on May 21, according to Iranian state television.

The shipment is a direct challenge to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen’s ports, and has the potential to further escalate tensions in a region that adjoins some of the world’s biggest oilfields and key maritime transport routes.

Update: Iran Warships Escort Cargo Vessel Toward Yemen -- AP

WNU Editor: Two foreign activists on-board the Iranian aid ship are contradicting the Pentagon's report .... Iran aid vessel not escorted by Iranian warships: activists (Reuters)

Update: U.S. Weighs Military Options as Iran Cargo Ship Nears Yemen -- NBC

Iran Threatens War Against The Saudi-Led Coalition If ‘Aid Ship’ To Yemen Attacked

IBTimes: Iran Warns Saudi-Led Coalition Against Interfering With Yemen Aid Ship As Ceasefire Continues

An Iranian military official warned the Saudi-led coalition Tuesday that any attempts to block an Iranian cargo ship bound for Yemen with humanitarian aid will “spark a fire.” The comments come amid concerns from the United States and Saudi Arabia that the ship might be used to supply weapons to the Houthi rebels during the temporary ceasefire.

"I bluntly declare that the self-restraint of Islamic Republic of Iran is not limitless," General Masoud Jazayeri told Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam state TV late Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. "Both Saudi Arabia and its novice rulers, as well as the Americans and others, should be mindful that if they cause trouble for the Islamic Republic with regard to sending humanitarian aid to regional countries, it will spark a fire, the putting out of which would definitely be out of their hands."

More News On Iranian Threats Of War If ‘Aid Ship’ To Yemen Is Attacked

Iran warns US against stopping Yemen-bound aid ship -- AFP
Iran threatens war if ‘aid ship’ to Yemen attacked -- Times of Israel
Iran Warns of War if Aid Ship to Yemen Attacked -- Sputnik
Iran Threatens War over Saudi-Led Blockade in Yemen -- The Tower
Iran promises to protect alleged aid ship bound for Yemen -- CBS/AP
Iran says Saudi-led forces cannot inspect Yemen-bound ship -- Reuters
Iranian general warns against blocking Yemen-bound ship, while US official says it's 'all for show' -- FOX News
Iran Commander Warns Saudi Arabia Against Blocking Yemen Aid -- Bloomberg
Iran warns Saudi, U.S. against hindering Yemen aid ship -- Washington Times
Iran warns U.S. on Yemen aid ship -- Politico
US warns Iran against sending aid ship to Yemen -- AFP
Pentagon monitoring Iranian ship heading to Yemen -- UPI

Iran Warns That They Will Protect Their Security Interests In Yemen

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Press TV

Reuters: Iran pledges to protect shared security interests with Yemen

May 2 (Reuters) - Iran's deputy foreign minister said Tehran will not let regional powers jeopardise its security interests in Yemen, Tasnim news agency reported, in the strongest acknowledgement yet of Iranian involvement in the Arabian peninsula.

Iran has denied accusations from Western and Arab states that it is arming Shi'ite Muslim Houthi rebels in Yemen. But it has regularly condemned a Saudi-led air campaign against the insurgents.

"Others will not be allowed to put our shared security at risk with military adventures," Hossein Amir Abdollahian said, according to the Iranian Tasnim news agency in an article published on Saturday.

WNU Editor: Yemen is now under a naval/air blockade ... so short of war and/or a direct confrontation by trying to break through the blockade, Iran's options are limited.

UN Report: Iran Arming Yemen's Houthi Rebels Since 2009

Houthi militants gesture in the yard of the residence of the military commander of the Houthi militant group, Abdullah Yahya al Hakim, after it was hit by an airstrike, in Sanaa April 28, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters)

AFP: Iran arming Yemen's Huthi rebels since 2009

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Iran has been shipping weapons to Yemen's Huthi rebels since at least 2009, according to a confidential UN report, indicating that Tehran's support dates back to the early years of the Shiite militia's insurgency.

The report by a panel of experts was presented to the Security Council's Iran sanctions committee last week as the United Nations seeks to broker an end to the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen and a return to peace talks.

The panel of experts reported on the findings of an investigation into the 2013 seizure by Yemeni authorities of an Iranian ship, the Jihan, that was carrying weapons.

Update: Iran's proxy war in Yemen just got exposed -- Jeremy Bender, Business Insider

WNU Editor: Everyone has been meddling in Yemen for years .... Iran is not the only player who has been involved.

Iranian Warships Turn Away From Yemen (Updated)

CNN: Iranian ships turn away from Yemen

Washington (CNN)A convoy of Iranian ships headed toward Yemen is now moving away from the war-torn country, days after the U.S. deployed warships to the Yemeni coast, according to two U.S. defense officials.

One of those American ships, the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, has also been redirected away from Yemen to the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian ships turned away from Yemen on Thursday and on Friday continued to move northward, back in the direction of Iran.

Multiple U.S. officials had told CNN that the American ships had been deployed to the region to dissuade the nine-ship Iranian convoy, which included armed ships, from docking in Yemen, where Iran has been supporting and arming the Houthi rebellion.

One of the defense officials who told CNN of the Iranian convoy's movements called the turnaround a "promising sign."

WNU Editor: Iran is now trying to send planes with aid to Yemen .... but these flights are being "blocked" .... Tehran calls in Saudi envoy over aid plane interception (Press TV).

More News On Iranian Warships Turning Away From Yemen

Iran ships ‘turn back’ from Yemen as fighting rages -- Gulf News/AFP
Iranian ships moving away from Yemen -U.S. official -- Reuters
U.S. official: Iranian cargo ships reverse course -- Pilot Online
Iran's Arabian Sea Ship Convoy Heads Home Before Meeting U.S. Navy And Allies -- IBTimes
Iranian flotilla turn back from Yemen: US officials -- The National
Iranian ships turn back from Yemen -- Middle East Online
US Ships Still Monitoring Iranian Flotilla -- Defense News
Iranian convoy off Yemen consists of small cargo vessels, warships -- USA Today

Iran's Naval Convoy To Yemen Has Turned Around

FOX News: Fleet of Iranian ships heading to Yemen turns around after being tracked by US warships

A nine-ship Iranian convoy believed to be laden with weapons bound for rebels in Yemen turned around Thursday after being followed by U.S. warships stationed in the area to prevent arms shipments, multiple sources in the Pentagon told Fox News.

The sources said the nine-ship convoy is south of Salalah, Oman, and now headed northeast in the Arabian Sea in the direction of home. The ships, which include seven freighters and two frigates, had sailed southwest along the coast of Yemen heading in the direction of Aden and the entrance to the Red Sea. They appeared to drop anchor in the north Arabian Sea, after the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Normandy and a half-dozen other American ships arrived in the Arabian Sea on Monday, and U.S. officials said that they could intercept the convoy.

WNU Editor: No one else is reporting on this change of course for the Iranian navy .... and this story may change in the next minute .... but if true it means that tensions have been appreciably relieved.

Update: Iran's Arabian Sea Ship Convoy Heads Home Before Meeting U.S. Navy And Allies (IBTimes).

Update #3: Yup .... it looks like they have turned around .... Iranian Ships Turn Back From Yemen After Standoff (NBC).

Two Iranian Military Officers Captured By Yemeni Militiamen

Reuters: Yemeni militiamen say captured two Iranian officers in Aden

(Reuters) - Local militiamen in the Yemeni city of Aden said they captured two Iranian military officers advising Houthi rebels during fighting on Friday evening.

Tehran has denied providing military support for Houthi fighters, whose advances have drawn air strikes by a regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic's main rival for influence in the Gulf.

If confirmed, the presence of two Iranian officers, who the local militiamen said were from an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, would further worsen relations between Tehran and Riyadh who are vying for dominance in the region.

Three sources in the southern port city's anti-Houthi militias said the Iranians, identified as a colonel and a captain, were seized in two separate districts that have been rocked by heavy gun battles.

WNU Editor: If this report is true .... expect Iranian - Saudi relations to even worsen.

Iran Deploys Warships Off The Coast of Yemen

Tasnim News Agency

Reuters: Iran deploys warships off Yemen's coast

Reuters) - Iran sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, state media reported, establishing a military presence off the coast of Yemen where Saudi Arabia is leading a bombing campaign to oust the Iran-allied Houthi movement.

The Alborz destroyer and Bushehr support vessel sailed from Bandar Abbas on a mission to protect Iranian shipping from piracy, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said in comments cited by Press TV.

Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies have imposed an air and naval blockade on Yemen as part of a two-week campaign to oust the Houthis, who have taken most of the country and forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh.

WNU Editor: When reports started to circulate that Saudi Arabia and its allies were planning to establish a naval/air blockade around Yemen .... speculation on what Iran would then do started to circulate. I guess this is their response to that speculation .... and a direct warning to Saudi Arabia and others that they will not respect any blockade.

More News On Iran Deploying Warships Off The Coast of Yemen

Report: Iran sends navy vessels near Yemen amid airstrikes -- AP
Iran sends warship to Gulf of Aden for safety of Iranian vessels -- Xinhua News Agency (China)
Report: Two Iranian battleships sent to Gulf of Aden to protect maritime routes -- YNet News
Iran’s 34th Fleet ‘sailing to Gulf of Aden’ -- Times of Israel
Iran 'sends vessels near Yemen' -- Irish Times
Iranian Navy's 34th Flotilla of Warships Leaves for Gulf of Aden -- Tasnim
Iran Navy’s 34th fleet sets sail for Gulf of Aden -- Press TV

Iran Rushes In To Support The Houthis As They Consolidate Their Power In Yemen

Al Jazeera: Houthis say they have secured aid package from Iran

Spokesperson says Tehran has pledged to expand Yemen's ports, help build power plants and provide Yemen with oil.

Yemen's de-facto rulers, the Shia Houthi rebels, say they have secured an economic aid package from Iran.

A delegation of Houthis just returned from Iran and a spokesperson said Iran had pledged to expand Yemen's ports, help build power plants and provide Yemen with enough oil to last a year.

Yemen is caught in a standoff between deposed president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels, who seized control of the capital Sanaa and staged a coup in February by dissolving the country's parliament and creating a "presidential council".

More News On The Crisis In Yemen

Iran to supply Yemen with oil for a year: Houthi official -- Asahrq Al-Awsat
Iran promises a year's worth of oil to Yemen's Houthis -- Middle East Eye
Iran ready to fund Yemeni power stations, Al Houthis say -- Gulf News/Bloomberg
Yemen factions welcome Riyadh talks, Houthis rebuff peace efforts -- Asharq Al-Awsat
Houthi leader accuses Gulf states of backing al Qaeda in Yemen -- Reuters
GCC states say Yemen crisis talks open to Houthis -- Al Arabiya/AFP
Yemeni opposition announces united front against Houthis -- Reuters
Two Dead in Protests Against Houthi Rebels in Yemen -- WSJ
Yemen's Houthis hold exercises near Saudi border -- Reuters
Yemen’s Houthis Said to Plan Military Exercise Near Saudi Arabia -- Bloomberg
Houthis come down from mountains to fill Yemen's power vacuum -- The Independent

Is Iran Fermenting Unrest In Yemen?

With Arms for Yemen Rebels, Iran Seeks Wider Mideast Role -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — In the past several months, Iran appears to have increased its political outreach and arms shipments to rebels and other political figures in Yemen as part of what American military and intelligence officials say is a widening Iranian effort to extend its influence across the greater Middle East.

Iranian smugglers backed by the Quds Force, an elite international operations unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, are using small boats to ship AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades and other arms to replace older weapons used by the rebels, a senior American official said. Using intercepted cellphone conversations between the smugglers and Quds Force operatives provided by the Americans, the Yemeni and Indian coastal authorities have seized some shipments, according to the American official and a senior Indian official.

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Update: Iran backing Houthi rebels, U.S. claims -- UPI

My Comment: Yemen .... with its large Shiite population and dysfunctional government .... has all the ingredients .... like Hezbollah ha become in Lebanon .... of becoming another "client state within a state" for Iran.