Source: Wikimedia Commons, LA(Phot) Simmo Simpson The United States is flexing its military might in the Middle East yet again, as the Pentagon reported that it had moved the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier, off the coast of Yemen in an apparent move to stop Iran from being able to aid the Houthi rebels. The US now has nine warships off the coast of Yemen, a very powerful deterrent for those [like Iran] who seek to help out the Houthis. Iran seeks to aid the Houthis as they too are made up of primarily Shiite Muslims while the former-US-Saudi Arabian backed Yemeni government was primarily made up of Sunni Muslims. This is why Sunni-led nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been seeking to kick out the Houthi rebels through an aggressive air strike campaign. Overall, this looks to be just another proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but with the US involved, it doesn't look like Iran will be able to do much in regards to direct aid to the Houthi rebels. However, the destabilization of the region could push up oil prices. In 2013, 3.4 million barrels of oil per day was shipped through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, a 2-mile stretch between Yemen and Africa, making it a crucial choke point for oil transportation. The heavy US naval presence in the area will probably be able to keep the strait "safe" and operational, but we will have to see.