US Intercepts Iranian Arms-Smuggling Ship

[codedvirus]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481483,00.html

WASHINGTON — U.S. defense officials say the military intercepted and searched an Iranian-owned ship that officials feared was carrying arms to Hamas. It's unclear whether those suspicions were founded.

Two defense officials say the Cypriot-flagged commercial vessel was tracked by a U.S. Navy ship in the Red Sea over the weekend. One official says it was boarded with the consent of the vessel's crew on Monday and Tuesday.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

The search turned up ammunition that included artillery shells. But one official said that since Hamas is not known to use artillery, officials are now uncertain who the intended recipient was. They're asking Egypt to do another search when the ship arrives in port.

[Mil]

The fun begins...

[Cellis]

a question:

Cypriot-flagged commercial vessel

what the hell is going on?

[Roland]

Ships' flags are meaningless. In this case it is pure random luck to have that ship registered in Cyprus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_convenience

[CanDo]

Cyprus fears if Iran arms ship is released, Israeli navy will seize it

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5886

Israel informed Washington, Cairo and Nicosia that surface missiles bound for Hamas are concealed in the steel holds of the Cypriot-flagged Iran Hedayt which the US intercepted but did not stop in the Red Sea last week.

DEBKAfile's military sources report that after neither the US nor Egypt laid hands on the cargo when they had the chance, Cyprus finds itself stuck Saturday, Jan 31, with hard choices: the US and Israel are pressing Nicosia not to let the ship go without a further search for fear Israel will seize it and precipitate an armed clash with Iran. Tehran on the other hand threatens Nicosia with diplomatic and economic retribution if the vessel is not released forthwith.

Friday, Cyprus president Demetris Christofias said a ship anchored off Limassol was being searched carrying cargo that contravenes UN resolutions. Cyprus state radio reported the vessel may have been traveling from Iran to Syria with weapons destined for Hamas.

Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni informed Nicosia that the cargo aboard the Iran Hedayt contravened the UN Security Council Resolution 1747 which forbids Iran to export arms under international sanctions.

But foreign minister Markos Kyprianou later backpedalled by saying the authorities were still trying to determine if the ship's cargo contravenes United Nations resolutions.

After Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said on Jan. 28 that the US Navy had no authority to seize the weapons aboard the Iranian vessel –"The US did as much as we could" - Nicosia too is reviewing its options.

As the arms vessel made its way from Bandar Abbas to the Red Sea, tracked by DEBKAfile's sources from Jan. 20, Jerusalem counted on the Livni-Rice memorandum of understanding for a joint effort to stop Iranian arms smuggling to Hamas kicking in. There was a precedent.

On Dec. 2, 2002, American warships helped two Spanish warships halt a North Korean cargo vessel and confiscate Scud missiles bound for Saddam Hussein hidden beneath sacks of cement.

But the Iranian cargo for Hamas was not touched and the ship was allowed to proceed.

Jerusalem is watching tensely now to see what the Cypriots do next. If they let the arms ship go without confiscating the missiles aboard, Tehran will be encouraged to send more arms ships to Hamas and the entire international effort to stop Hamas rearming, which was implicit in Israel's unilateral ceasefire, will cave in before it ever took off.

This Iranian arms ship was first revealed exclusively by DEBKAfile on Jan. 20 and tracked further on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25. Click HERE.

The US did as much as they could, and released a boatload of powerful weapons that can attack Israel's ships, planes and towns?! Who is running the US these days, the UN? Has the US given up it's sovereignty, or is the US turning it's back on Israel?

Israel must not allow those Iran arms to be in position to unload their cargo of death and destruction!