![[ rfe/rl banner ]](rferl-article2.gif)
U.S. Bolstering Force In Persian Gulf, Sends Patriot Missiles To Region With Eye On Iran
By RFE/RL May 11, 2019
Reports from western Yemen say Iranian-backed Huthi rebels have begun withdrawing from two of the three Red Sea port facilities they've vowed to evacuate under a peace deal negotiated in Stockholm in December.
The Yemeni government, however, accused the rebels of "staging a new ploy" by faking the withdrawal.
Provincial Governor Al-Hasan Taher told AFP the rebels were handing the ports "to themselves without any monitoring by the United Nations and the government side."
The United Nations on May 11 said it was monitoring the withdrawal from the Red Sea port facilities of Saleef and Ras Isa, which they have held since 2014.
The UN monitors plan to report to the Security Council about the situation on May 15.
The UN says the Huthi rebels announced late on May 10 that they would unilaterally redeploy their forces out of three Red Sea port facilities over four days beginning on May 11 – potentially opening the way for the delivery of humanitarian aid needed to prevent a famine that threatens millions of people.
Under the redeployment pledge, Huthi militants said they also would move out of Yemen's main Red Sea ports of Hodeidah by the end of the day on May 14.
The head of the UN's Redeployment Coordination Committee called the pledge "the first practical step on the ground" since the conclusion of the Stockholm agreement.
Under that agreement, pro-government forces in Yemen also are expected to leave positions around the outskirts of Hodeidah during the initial redeployment before a second phase in which both sides withdraw their troops further.
But the UN's statement did not specifically mention any reciprocal redeployment by the pro-government forces, which have the support of a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The coalition alleges that the Huthis have been using Hodeidah, Yemen's principal Red Sea port, as a landing point to smuggle weapons supplied by Iran. The Huthis deny those charges.
The UN committee's chairman, Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard of Denmark, said the Huthi redeployment must be followed by "the committed, transparent, and sustained actions of the parties to fully deliver on their obligations."
The United States is bolstering its military presence in the Persian Gulf and Middle East, deploying an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot missile battery to counter what Washington sees as a growing threat from Iran.
The Pentagon announcement on May 10 is the latest in a series of moves and countermoves by the United States and Iran as tensions between the nations intensify.
Washington has imposed a series of sanctions on Iranian oil and metal exports to increase pressure on Tehran to give up what it calls "malign" activities, such as attempting to develop nuclear weapons and financing militant activity in the region. Tehran denies the claims.
The Pentagon said the USS Arlington amphibious assault ship will join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a B-52 bomber task force already headed toward the Gulf after U.S. intelligence reports suggested Iran was planning an attack of some type in the region.
The USS Arlington transports marines, amphibious vehicles, landing craft, and rotary aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force confirmed late on May 9 that the B-52 bombers sent to the Gulf to counter unspecified threats from Iran had arrived at a major U.S. air base in Qatar.
The Pentagon said the deployments were "in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against U.S. forces and our interests."
"The Department of Defense continues to closely monitor the activities of the Iranian regime, their military, and proxies," it said.
"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend U.S. forces and interests in the region."
On May 9, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran that "our restraint to this point should not be mistaken by Iran for a lack of resolve."
"The regime in Tehran should understand that any attacks by them or their proxies of any identity against U.S. interests or citizens will be answered with a swift and decisive U.S. response," Pompeo said.
The Patriot, a long-range, all-weather air-defense system designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced aircraft, will be sent to an undisclosed location.
The U.S. military removed Patriot missile batteries from Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan late in 2018, but it was not clear if the latest deployment would be to one of those U.S. allies in the region.
The activity comes on and around the first anniversary of Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose tough economic sanctions.
Trump has said the deal -- under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief -- was "fatally flawed" because it did not address Iran's missile program or Tehran's alleged support for terrorist organizations.
Despite the rising tensions, Trump on May 9 said he was open to talks with Tehran's leadership.
"What I would like to see with Iran, I would like to see them call me," Trump told reporters.
"We don't want them to have nuclear weapons -- not much to ask," he said.
However, a senior commander of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on May 10 said Tehran will not hold talks with the United States.
IRGC deputy head Yadollah Javani was quoted by the hard-line Tasnim news agency as saying, "There will be no negotiations with America."
With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters
Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
