US Moves to Block Iran Weapons to Yemen Rebels

The situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, with Iran at the center of the latest developments.

The U.S. is now moving ships from the Persian Gulf as the fight against ISIS precipitates another Mideast crisis.

The Pentagon has ordered the USS Theodore Roosevelt to head to the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen. The aircraft carrier will join other American ships ready to stop illegal Iranian weapons shipments to rebels fighting in Yemen's civil war.

"We have seen evidence that the Iranians are supplying weapons and other forms of support to the Houthis in Yemen," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. "That's the kind of support that will only contribute to greater violence in that country."

Just last September, President Barack Obama called Yemen a success story in the war on terror. But if the Iranian-backed rebels are not defeated, it could become an even bigger base for terrorist attacks against the United States.

Iran's role in aiding a rebel army next door to Saudi Arabia shows that it is a regional threat to peace, and that could make it even less likely Congress will support the president's nuclear deal with Iran -- a deal that's already facing serious troubles on Capitol Hill.

"Barack Obama's deal is deteriorating before our eyes. I don't think there is a snowball's chance in h*** that Congress is going to approve this framework the way it's set up," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told "Fox News Sunday."

In fact, some Republicans want to link the Iran nuclear deal with Americans the Iranians are holding, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and American Pastor Saeed Abedini. Iran is also holding and has reportedly tortured former U.S Marine Amir Hekmati.

"It is critical that our government use this unique opportunity...to bring Pastor Saeed and the other wrongfully imprisoned Americans home to their families," Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice said.

When asked why the White House can't tie the nuclear talks with Iran to the release of prisoners like Saeed and Rezaian,  Earnest said the talks are very "complicated" and must focus on one issue at a time.

But that could make it even harder for Congress to approve any deal with Iran.