Iranian convoy off Yemen consists of small cargo vessels, warships

Tom Vanden Brook | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The Iranian ship convoy suspected of ferrying arms to Houthi rebels in Yemen consists of several small vessels, including a freighter, tugboat and two war ships, surveillance photos reviewed by USA TODAY show.

The U.S. Navy shifted the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the guided missile cruiser USS Normandy from the Persian Gulf toward Yemen on Sunday to monitor the Iranian ships.

The Iranian ships, which had been moving slowly toward Yemen's capital of Aden, are no longer steaming in that direction, Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Thursday. It's too soon to tell if they are reversing course and heading back toward Iran, he said.

One photo shows the main Iranian supply ship with two stacks of metal shipping containers and what appears to be two smaller boats on its deck. Separate photos show other ships included a dhow, a smaller cargo boat used in the region. The U.S. Navy intercepted an Iranian dhow off Yemen two years ago and seized weapons that included Chinese-made, anti-aircraft missiles.

The photos were taken by a military surveillance plane, according to a Defense Department official who was not authorized to release the images.

The Roosevelt, which carries 5,000 sailors and about 60 warplanes, is sailing about 200 miles from the Iranian convoy. There has been no contact between the U.S. Navy and the convoy, Warren said.

The Pentagon has been concerned that the ships hold arms that could be used by the rebels in their quest to overthrow the American-backed government in Yemen. United Nations resolutions prohibit supplying to the Houthis, who are Shiite Muslims supported by Iran. The Yemeni government is dominated by Sunni Muslims.

The country is torn by sectarian strife. The Pentagon and White House say the Roosevelt was moved to the waters off Yemen to ensure shipping lanes are safe. Until last month, U.S. Special Operations commandos had been working with Yemeni forces battling terrorists from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Those U.S. troops have been evacuated, complicating but not stopping the counter-terrorism effort there, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said.

The Iranian naval ships are no match for the American firepower in the region. The Iranian ships are Chinese-made Houdong Type 021-class missile boats. They are fast-attack craft with anti-ship missiles, according to Globalsecurity.org, a defense policy group.

The warships were originally in the region to help conduct anti-piracy operations, the Defense Department official said. It joined the cargo-ship convoy in recent days.