The USS Theodor Roosevelt aircraft carrier. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael D. Cole/US Navy US Navy officials say the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming toward the waters off Yemen and will join other American ships prepared to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi rebels fighting in Yemen, the AP reports.

The Pentagon confirmed that the Abraham Linconln has been sent to the waters off of Yemen, but is now denying that it has specifically been sent to interdict an Iranian vessel, according to Reuters.

The US Navy has been beefing up its presence in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Arabian Sea amid reports that a convoy of Iranian ships may be headed toward Yemen to arm the Houthis.

The Houthis are battling government-backed fighters in an effort to take control of the country.

The UN Security Council passed an arms embargo on aid to the Houthi rebels on April 14th. Iran is also prohibited from exporting weapons under a 2006 UNSC resolution.

These Iranian shipments would violate multiple standing UNSC measures while aiding rebels who are currently fighting a Saudi-led coalition. The coalition consists of several Arab countries and is receiving logistical and intelligence support from the US.

The coalition is attempting to restore Yemen's internationally recognized government, which was largely disbanded when the Houthis pushed through the capital of Sana and into southwestern Yemen in late March.

Operation Resolute Storm Louis Martin-Vézian and Evan Centanni There are about nine US ships in the region, including cruisers and destroyers carrying teams that can board and search other vessels, according to the AP.

The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ship movement on the record.

The US actually began moving assets to Yemeni waters on April 19, before news broke of the apparent planned interdiction of an Iranian weapons shipment. According to a US Navy press release on April 20th, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier, transited to the Arabian sea the day before while accompanied by a guided-missile cruiser.

The ships "have joined other US 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 states.

The Bab el-Mandeb stretches between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, and is one of the world's busiest oil chokepoints. Fighting in Yemen, and recent gains by Al Qaeda and Houthi fighters, could potentially threaten open passage through the waterway, which is 18 miles across at its narrowest point.

The presence of US warships could help protect commercial waterways potentially impacted by the Yemen conflict — although American military planners now apparently hope they can also deter Iran from getting even more involved in the country.