U.S. urges Iran to redirect Yemen-bound ship to avoid potential confrontation with Saudi Arabia

The United States on Tuesday urged Iran to redirect a Yemen-bound cargo vessel carrying humanitarian relief to Djibouti, where the United Nations is overseeing humanitarian deliveries, to avoid a potential confrontation with Saudi Arabia, as a cease-fire between Saudi-led coalition and pro-Iran Yemen's Houthi rebels just took effect.

"If the Iranians follow U.N. protocol, move the ship to a port in Djibouti, allow the humanitarian cargo they claim is on the ship to be distributed through U.N. channels, then they will have done the right thing in this case," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters.

Warren also said the Pentagon was monitoring the Iranian ship. "We are aware of the Iranians' statement that they plan to escort this ship with warships," he said.

Iran's state new agency IRNA had earlier quoted an Iranian naval commander as saying that Iranian warships would accompany the cargo ship bound for Yemen.

Warren declined to comment if the U.S. military would try to search the Iranian ship or prevent it from docking in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday also called on Tehran to deliver humanitarian assistance through U.N. channels, saying that would help enforce arms embargo put in force by the U.N. Security Council against the Houthi rebels.

"By allowing the U.N. to process those humanitarian donations and to efficiently distribute them, we'll make sure that we're enforcing the arms embargo," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Above 1,400 people, mostly civilians, have so far been killed in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition began air raids starting in March against the pro-Iran Houthi militants who overtook the presidential palace in Yemen's capital Sanaa.

The Houthis agreed on Sunday to a five-day cease-fire proposed by Saudi Arabia that started at 11 p.m. local time on Tuesday to allow deliveries of humanitarian aids.

The Saudi-led coalition has accused Iran of arming the Houthis and its naval forces are inspecting all ships trying to enter Yemeni ports.

In April, at least seven Iranian ships with unknown cargo bound for Yemen reversed course after the U.S. Navy redeployed an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile cruiser to the Arabian Sea near Yemen in a bid to step up U.S. naval presence amidst mounting concerns over Yemen's anarchic chaos. Endite