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U.S. presses allies to block Iran arms to Hizbullah

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, May 9, 2001

WASHINGTON Ñ U.S. allies in the Gulf have refused to allow Iran to fly weapons over their air space for the Lebanese Hizbullah movement.

The refusal came as the U.S. has made a concerted effort to stop the flow of Iranian weapons to Hizbullah. U.S. officials said Iran has intensified efforts over the last seven months to rearm the militia.

The officials said Iran sought help from its Gulf Arab neighbors after Ankara refused to allow the transportation of Iranian weapons to Hizbullah through Turkish airspace. The weapons were carried by Iranian charter planes from Teheran to Damascus and then transferred overland to Lebanon, Middle East Newsline reported.

But under U.S. pressure, Gulf Arab states refused to allow Iranian planes to fly to Damascus. This includes Bahrain, regarded as the closest friend of Teheran among the Gulf Cooperation Council states.

Officials said Washington pressured Turkey and the Gulf states to stop the shipment of Hizbullah weapons soon after the Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanon a year ago. By October, after Turkey intercepted at least two Iranian jets suspected of being laden with weapons, Teheran sought other routes for Hizbullah weapons.

Iran still sends weapons to Hizbullah. But much of the weapons are being transferred by sea or land. This includes overland convoys through Iraq and Syria.

Over the weekend, a senior Iranian official met Syrian President Bashar Assad and discussed strategic relations. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Sadr discussed cooperation with Damascus as well as help for Hizbullah.

Sadr also met Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Wednesday, May 9, 2001

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