Israel Blocks Iran Aid Ship For Gaza

Source: Fars News Agency

The cargo ship, loaded with 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid including foods and medicines, was intercepted at about 20 miles from Gaza's shore, Iranian Red Crescent Society director Ahmad Moussavi announced in Tehran on Tuesday.

On Egypt's interception of the Iranian air cargo, which sought to take 30 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza, he said, "The cargo was also stopped at El-Arish in Egypt adjoining the Gaza Strip."

"We are conferring with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) to find a way for the ship to dock at the port of Gaza," Moussavi said, Tehran Times reported.

He also added that in the case of not achieving the desired results "the cargo ship will be sent to Cairo".

The Iranian ship departed the port city of Bandar Abbass for Gaza on December 31, 2009.

Tehran, Jan 14, IRNA – Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that the Zionist regime was halting Iran's aid ship to Gaza.

He said the ship has already passed through Suez Canal and was by at the closest point to Gaza Strip but Israeli Navy forces were preventing it from anchoring in Gaza waters.

Talking to reporters at the end of Iranian cabinet's Wednesday session, Mottaki said Iran has already taken necessary measures to deliver aid and that the cargo ship was carrying to the besieged people in Gaza.

According to the minister, immediately after the start of Zionist assaults against Gaza, Iran's Foreign Ministry set up a special office to coordinate relief efforts.

He referred to dispatching of presidential envoys to numerous world countries as another example of the initiatives taken by Iran to help end Zionist attacks against Gaza.

Mottaki said Senegalese president, the current chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, would shortly visit Iran to discuss the issue of Gaza with Iranian officials.

The foreign minister referred to extraordinary meeting of the Islamic Inter-parliamentary Union now currently underway in Istanbul as a case of diplomatic efforts the Islamic countries were making on Gaza issue and said Iran's was diplomatically active on the issue especially with European countries.

Mottaki believed stopping Zionist attacks on Gaza as the most urgent measure to be taken to end the suffering of people there.