The United States confirmed Monday it was monitoring Iranian vessels suspected of carrying weapons to Huthi rebels in Yemen as it bolstered its own naval presence in the Arabian Sea with an aircraft carrier.
The US Navy said it had sent the USS Theodore Roosevelt escorted by guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy “to ensure the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe”, bringing the number of American ships in the area to nine.
The Iranian convoy is comprised of nine ships, including two patrol boats, a senior defence official told AFP, saying its exact destination was unknown.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren denied reports the US ships have orders to intercept Iranian vessels carrying weapons for the Huthis.
Meanwhile on the ground the conflict showed no signs of abating Monday as coalition air strikes on a missile depot in the rebel-held capital sparked explosions that killed at least 28 people and wounded nearly 300.
Yemen, strategically located near key shipping routes and bordering oil-rich Saudi Arabia, was plunged into chaos last year when the Iran-backed Huthi Shiite rebels seized Sanaa.
A coalition of Sunni Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia launched the air campaign against them last month, vowing to restore the authority of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled to Riyadh as the militiamen advanced on his southern refuge of Aden.
The United States says it is not taking part directly in the strikes, but is providing intelligence and logistical support.
As a result, several US officials suggested that it would instead likely be Saudi Arabia, Egypt and their allies that would intercept Iranian ships if needed.
One said the Iranian convoy had passed through the Strait of Hormuz to leave the Gulf and was now headed west, thus potentially toward Yemen.
– Gulf powers reject UN call for peace –
The sensitivity of Iran’s role in the crisis was further highlighted Monday when authorities rejected an offer of mediation from Tehran.
“Any mediation effort coming from Iran is unacceptable because Iran is involved in the Yemen issue,” said Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin.
“The Huthis and Saleh forces must withdraw from all cities and villages of Yemen, including Sanaa and Aden, return to (their northern stronghold of) Saada as civilians, and lay down their arms,” he said.
The Sanaa bombings flattened houses and shook faraway neighbourhoods, and many more people were feared to have been killed after two strikes hit the hilltop depot, leaving a trail of destruction in the Fajj Attan area, which was covered in thick clouds of smoke.
They were described as some of the most violent of the nearly month-long air campaign.
The targeted base belongs to the missile brigade of the elite Republican Guard, which remained loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh — himself accused of siding with the rebels.
Fires broke out at the missile base and a nearby petrol station, witnesses said, and the scorching heat could be felt from far off.
The coalition says it has carried out more than 2,000 strikes since the start of the campaign, gaining complete control of Yemeni airspace and knocking out rebel infrastructure.
But a Saudi spokesman gave no comment about Monday’s blasts in Sanaa in his latest media briefing.
Any chance of a swift diplomatic solution also faded as Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi told UN chief Ban Ki-moon “certain conditions” must be met for the air campaign to be suspended and that these were spelled out in a recently adopted Security Council resolution.
The resolution adopted last week demands that the Huthis pull back from territory seized, including from Sanaa, imposed an arms embargo and called on them to end their violent campaign and return to peace talks.
Ban had called for an “immediate ceasefire” and time for a “passage to real peace.”
– Al-Qaeda capitalises on crisis –
The UN says the conflict has left hundreds dead and thousands wounded, and there has been increasing concern of a huge humanitarian crisis.
Yemen has long struggled with deep tribal divisions and an insurgency by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), considered by Washington as the jihadist network’s most dangerous branch.
Al-Qaeda has taken advantage of the chaos to seize territory including an army camp in Hadramawt, an airport and provincial capital Mukalla.
On Monday, a US drone strike killed five Al-Qaeda suspects at Saeed, in Shabwa province.