Lt. Col. Ralph Peters applauded Obama’s move of sending the USS Theodore Roosevelt to the coast of Yemen, but he also said you don’t make a fist unless you are ready to hit someone. And he’s not sure whether or not Obama is up to the task of doing what needs to be done to prevent these Iranian ships from rearming the Houthis.
And now here’s a piece from Fox News showing how the administration is already wavering, at least rhetorically, on why the Roosevelt is even there to begin with:
FOX NEWS – An American aircraft carrier and its warplanes are shadowing an Iranian convoy approaching Yemen, as the U.S. beefs up its presence in the region — but back in Washington, officials can’t seem to agree on why.
Pentagon sources confirmed to Fox News that the USS Theodore Roosevelt is tracking the Iranian convoy, and also launching F/A-18 Hornets to conduct “manned reconnaissance” of the estimated nine Iranian ships.
Those ships are suspected of carrying weapons to rebel fighters in Yemen.
But State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf insisted Tuesday that the U.S. ships were “only” there to “ensure the shipping lanes remain open and safe” — and “not to do anything in terms of those Iranian ships.”
She blasted “misreporting” that asserted U.S. ships were prepared to intercept Iranian vessels.
“That is blatantly untrue — so this discreet movement of U.S. assets is for a discreet purpose,” Harf said.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest also said Tuesday that the ships are in the region primarily to “protect the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce.”
However, Earnest acknowledged the U.S. is very interested in tracking the movements of any potential arms deliveries to Houthi rebels.
He said “any effort by Iran or anyone else to provide weapons to the Houthis would be a clear violation” of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Earnest said the U.S. and its partners are “serious about the Iranians not providing weapons to the Houthis,” and making sure the U.N. arms embargo is taken seriously.
The Pentagon also acknowledged the convoy is a factor.
Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said the aircraft carrier is there to assure the waterways are open. But, he added, “they have moved to that area in response to the deteriorating security situation in Yemen. Many have asked me whether or not they are there because of the Iranian ship convoy or flotilla that is also in the area. That is certainly one of the factors.”
The mixed messages, though, leave unclear how far the U.S. would go to enforce the embargo. The U.S. Navy generally conducts consensual boardings of ships when needed, including to combat piracy around Africa and the region. So far, however, U.S. naval personnel have not boarded any Iranian vessels since the Yemen conflict began.