WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy released an Iranian ship
that contained weapons earlier believed destined for the Gaza Strip.
Officials said the U.S. Navy intercepted an Iranian-owned ship on Jan.
19 in the Red Sea near the Suez Canal. They said the ship, suspected of
transporting cargo for the Hamas regime, was searched and found to have
contained artillery shells and other weapons.
"We received orders to let the ship go," an official said. "The
assessment was that the cargo was not for Hamas."
Officials said the Iranian-owned ship contained the flag of the Republic
of Cyprus and was tracked by the U.S. Navy from the Gulf to the Red Sea, Middle East Newsline reported.
They said the navy had received information that the ship contained weapons
for Hamas.
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On Jan. 19, the U.S. Navy stopped the Iranian ship and conducted a
two-day search in Egyptian territorial waters. Officials said the cargo
contained artillery shells and other ammunition, but the captain did not
identify the end-user. They said the ship was destined for the Egyptian port
of Damietta.
The interception of the Iranian ship was conducted by the U.S. Navy's
Fifth Fleet. The fleet refused to discuss the operation.
Officials would not discuss the source of the information on the Iranian
ship. But they said Israel has briefed the U.S. military and Defense
Department on Iranian weapons shipments to Hamas through Egyptian ports.
Egypt has denied that it was a conduit for the flow of weapons to Hamas.
The regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has rejected a European Union
offer to station monitors at both Port Said as well as the Egyptian border
with the Gaza Strip.
Officials said the U.S. Navy was ordered to allow the Iranian-owned ship
to continue to Egypt. They said Egypt has been asked to conduct a thorough
search once the ship docks in Port Said.
On Jan. 23, French President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered the deployment of a
naval frigate off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Sarkozy said the deployment
would be "in full cooperation with Egypt and Israel."