US Sends Aircraft Carrier To Arabian Sea

The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier has made its way to the Arabian Sea escorted by the USS Normandy guided missile destroyer, the Navy confirmed Monday.



The ships are joining "U.S. forces conducting maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb and the Southern Red Sea," the Navy said in a statement.



"The purpose of these operations is to ensure the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe," the Navy said.  



It added that U.S. forces have ramped up their presence in the region due to ongoing instability in Yemen.



The country has been wracked by fighting between a myriad of groups, including Iran-backed Houthi rebels, al-Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate, and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Gulf Arab states that have carried out airstrikes against the Shiite group.



The Pentagon claimed as "inaccurate" an Associated Press report that U.S. ship movements are intended to intercept possible Iranian weapons shipments to the Houthis.



White House spokesman Josh Earnest declined to comment directly on the maneuvers but said Washington has "seen evidence that the Iranians are supplying weapons and other forms of support to the Houthis in Yemen." 



"That's the kind of support that will only contribute to greater violence in a country that's already been wracked by too much violence," he added. 



www.aa.com.tr/en - Washington DC