U.S. Carrier Group Steams Toward Yemen

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 20, 2015
All Rights Reserved.

              Working feverishly on a nuke deal with Iran, Secretary of State John Kerry scored what looked like a big victory April 2 when Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif, with backing from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, agreed to a suitable “framework.”  President Barack Obama complained bitterly about House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu to speak to a joint session of Congress March 17.  Obama didn’t like Boehner interfering with the State Department’s delicate work on the Iranian nuke deal.   While Obama pointed fingers at Capitol Hill Republicans for meddling with his deal, his decision last year to arm Sunni rebels fighting Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerillas had far more impact on nuke discussions in Iran than anything on Capitol Hill.  Recent developments in Yemen carry far greater risks to Obama’s nuke deal.

             With Zarif heading New York to speak at a Non-Proliferation Treaty conference Aril 27-May 2, Obama authorized a carrier group to intercept Iranian war ships heading to Yemen to supply Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who seized Sanna, Feb. 6.  Houthi rebels drove President Abd Rabbuh Manouri Hadi out of Yemen March 26 to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Sending supply ship to the mouth of the Arabian Sea, Iran hopes to cement it presence in Saudi Arabia’s back yard.  Zarif ripped Saudi authorities for starting a bombing campaign against the Houthis March 25.  Whatever happens to Kerry and Zarif’s nuke deal, the U.S. and Iran are on a collision course in Arabian Sea.  Obama’s decision to send in a carrier group puts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khaemenei on notice that he needs the nuke deal more than the P5+1, including the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.

             U.S. intelligence detected eight Iranian warships heading toward the Gulf of Aden, at the southern mouth of the Arabian Sean.  Obama backs Saudi Arabia’s attempts, including its bombing of Houthi forces, to reinstate Hadi’s Sunni government in Sanaa.  Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi called Saudi’s bombing “criminal, unjust and unjustified aggression,” insisting Houthi forces would never give in to Saudi aggression.  Playing out a dangerous sectarian war in the region, Iran’s Supreme Leader sides with Shiite regimes wherever they may be, including Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus.  “We will do whatever it takes in order to protect the legitimate government of Yemen from failing,” said Saudi’s U.S. Amb. Adel al-Jubeir.  While waiting for the last four weeks since Saudi bombing to get off the fence, Obama finally lined up with the Saudi and the Gulf States against Iran..

             Obama joins a coalition of Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kurwait, Jordan, Sudan and Morocco, all opposed to Iranian power grabs in the Middle East.  Even Turkish Prime Minister Recip Yayyip Erdogan ripped Iran for intruding into the Gulf States.  “It is really not possible to tolerate this.  Iran has to understand,” said Erdogan, seeing himself as the titular head of Sunni Islam.  Despite Iran’s past attempts to find common ground with Sunni Arab states largely over their dislike of Israel, Arab state’s don’t trust Khamenei’s attempt to dominate the Mideast.  “The task force will be rapid military intervention to deal with security threats to Arab nations,” said Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby.  Joining the Arab coalition against Iran, Obama and Kerry risk scuttling months of intense diplomacy on coming up with practical way to contain Iran’s uranium enrichment. 

             Watching Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi evict Hadi from the presidential palace March 25 raised disturbing question about Obama’s strategy of backing Hadi in Yemen.  Once described as a great success story in the White House war on terror, Yemen turned out to be haven for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP], one of the deadliest terror groups on the planet.  When the Houthi’s came out of left field toppling Hadi’s government March 25, it raised disturbing questions about Iranian adventurism.  Sending the carrier task force to the Gulf of Aden sets up a potential collision course with the Iranian navy.  Playing his cards close to the vest, White House spokesman Josh Earnest admitted that the U.S. sees Iran as a major backer of Houthis in the Arabian Peninsula.  Sending a carrier group to the region sets up a direct confrontation with  Iran’s naval forces.

             Joining forces with Gulf States, the U.S. puts more pressure on Iran to back down for its support of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.  Ready to scuttle the nuke deal if necessary, Obama showed he’s a gamer sending a carrier group to the Gulf of Aden.  If Iran backs down, Obama will have won back some respect from the Gulf States, something he lost since pulling out of Iraq Dec. 15, 2011 and watching parts of Iraq and Syria fall to ISIS.  “We have seen evidence that the Iranians are supplying weapons and other armed support to the Houthis in Yemen.  That support only contributes to greater violence in that country . . .” said Earnest, downplaying the potential confrontation in Gulf.  White House Mideast policies, especially about dealing with ISIS in Syria and Iraq, have spun in more circles than a roulette wheel.  Taking a stand in Yemen against Iran, regardless of the fallout, is a step in the right direction.

 About The Author

John M. Curtis neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma


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