A few hours after the US attack on Yemeni territory in response to the attempted attack on a U.S. Navy destroyer, the Pentagon said that if necessary they will strike back again. Iran, in turn, moved their warships in the nearby waters.
"If you threaten our ships, we will respond," said Pentagon spokesman Peter cook on Thursday. He described the rocket launches against a ship Mason as "a response to direct threats to our people and we responded to this threat and we will react again."
Also on Thursday, the Iranian Navy deployed two warships in the Gulf of Aden to protect commercial ships from pirates, according to the Tasnim News Agency. "Regarding the Iranian activities of the Navy, I'll leave it for the Iranians to describe the location of these ships," cook said. "We are working in these waters all the time."
At the same time, the war is fueling anti-American sentiment in the region, the deepening of the significant strains in us-Saudi relations, and increased risk of unintentional relapse with Tehran.
"The war in Yemen is growing and becoming more dangerous," said Bruce Riedel, Director the intelligence project at the Brookings institution. Strategic location at the entrance to the Red sea, the extensive border with Saudi Arabia and the desperately poor, Yemen is "the military and civilian strategic nightmare", according to Anthony Cordesman, a former state Department official and defense at the Center for strategic and international studies.
The United States sold Saudi Arabia military equipment and weapons for $11 billion under President Barack Obama, also support the UK and the USA play a crucial role in the Saudi war in Yemen. "It makes them guilty of war crimes," said Riedel.
sections: Politics, World News, Accidents, Accidents |