Special to WorldTribune.com

Two warships joined seven other U.S. vessels in the Arabian Sea, to counter an Iranian convoy suspected of carrying weapons to Shi’ite Houthi rebels in violation of a UN arms embargo adopted last week.

“We believe these vessels may have arms and equipment on board,” an official told AFP on April 20.

However Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said the warships did not have orders to intercept the Iranian vessels.

Officials said that if intercepting the ships proved necessary the action would be conducted by the Saudi-led coalition.

The U.S. Navy said that the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Normandy guided-missile cruiser would “ensure the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe”.

A Houthi official described the U.S. warships as a “siege” against Yemen’s people.

Yemen is strategically located on Saudi Arabia’s southern border and along key shipping routes.

When the Iran-backed Houthi seized control of the the capital, Sanaa, and advanced toward Aden, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab coalition partners launched a campaign of air strikes to impede the Houthis’ advance.

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar are taking part in the Saudi-led coalition along with Egypt, Jordan and Sudan. Morocco and Pakistan have declared support for the effort but have yet to contribute forces.

The coalition said it had carried out more than 2,000 strikes since the start of the campaign, seizing complete control of Yemeni airspace and destroying key Houthi facilities and supply lines.

The United States is not taking part in the strikes but is providing intelligence and logistical support to the coalition.

The conflict is being viewed as the nexus of a potentially explosive region-wide proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran.

  U.S. warships head for Yemen but have no orders to block Iran arms shipments, WorldTribune.com