More Military Action by US Expected As American Aircraft-Carrier Carl Vinson Enters Indian Ocean

With the USS Carl Vinson, the American aircraft-carrier and its supporting warships entering the Indian Ocean through the Malacca Straits, further military action against the Houthis in Yemen, sources said, is possible. Also, US President Donald Trump has warned Iran, saying that he would hold Teheran accountable if military support to the Houthis did not cease. "We will not be nice about it," Trump has said.

The presence of the Carl Vinson, which came through the Malacca Sea into the Indian Ocean from it’s original position in the East Pacific, on Friday, is ominous as another supercarrier, the USS Harry Truman, is already in the region. Each carrier is approximately 100,000 tons and carries 90 aircraft and helicopters, supported by guided missile destroyers and other naval vessels. The US Navy has ten supercarriers, and now, two of them are going to be in a specific part of the Indian Ocean Region. Along with this concentration of force opposite Yemen, the USA has stationed B-2 stealth bombers in Diego Garcia.

Both carriers are part of strike groups, and together, the Carl Vinson and the Harry Truman add up to serious force levels. They allow for the options of air and cruise missile strikes against the Houthis, who control a part of Yemen and are supported by Iran or any other target. After the fighting between Israel and Hamas and later, the Hezbollah began, the Houthis have been attacking ships, both commercial and military, in the region, mostly the Red Sea. They have also sunk a couple of ships, damaging others, and captured one, leading to Western involvement. The attacks began in November 2023, the Houthis being armed with missiles and drones.

The attacks (the West has said the Iranians are providing the weapons to the Houthis) have forced shipping firms to reroute their vessels. They take the longer route now, going down the west coast of Africa, crossing the Cape of Good Hope to get to the Indian Ocean, and avoiding the much shorter and more convenient Red Sea route through the Suez Canal. The new route is more expensive as well. At least 15 percent of the world's trade went through the Suez Canal, and the Houthis have, therefore, seriously dislocated world shipping. The Houthis control half of Yemen and are also fighting the Saudis.

India has sent warships to the region: they are there to fight pirates and also help if there is a crisis. The attacks on the Houthis are mostly by the Americans, and President Donald Trump has recently told Iran to stop arming the Houthis and face the consequences.

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