In These New Times

PressTV

19th February, 2011

“Egypt agreed to allow two Iranian warships to transit the Suez Canal,” the news agency reported Friday.

It added that Iran said in the request for the ships to pass that they were not carrying any weapons or nuclear and chemical materials.

Meanwhile, an army source told Reuters that the Egyptian government has approved the passage of the Iranian ships through the strategic international shipping route.

The northbound ship convoy was expected to start entering the canal from the Red Sea end at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman claimed that the Iranian warships’ plan to sail through the canal was an act of “provocation.”

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak also labeled the Iranian action as “hostile” and said Israel was closely monitoring the situation.

Naval vessels need to get the approval of Egypt’s Foreign and Defense Ministries to navigate the Suez Canal.