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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