Iranian Warships Enter the Mediterranean Sea

For only the second time since 1979, Iran has sent two warships through the Suez Canal. The Mehr news agency, which is the country’s somewhat official media, reported that the two warships are now in the Mediterranean Sea. The first time that Iran’s warships entered the Mediterranean Sea was in February of last year. It was only days after the new government in Egypt announced that they would allow such movements by Iran. That move by Egypt’s military placed the country in a bad light with Israel.

Habibollah Sayyari, who is the Rear Admiral of Iran’s 18th naval fleet, said that by moving a naval presence into the Mediterranean Sea, the countries in the region can see that Iran carries a message of friendship and peace. However, Sayyari also said that in doing so, they will also ensure that the “might of the country” will be displayed. The destination of the two ships was not known, but there are reports that Syria was where the supply ship and the destroyer were headed.

The Suez Canal is an internal body and Egypt claims sovereignty. However, there is also the 1978 Camp David Accords. That agreement guarantees that free passage will be had by all nations because of the Constantinople Convention 1888. Tensions between Israel and Iran are very high. Israel has strongly hinted at striking against Iran because of their nuclear program. In the last week, Israel has blamed Iran for targeting various Israel for bombings in Thailand, India, and Georgia.

The European Union and the United States have both increased economic sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear program. Iran maintains that the program is only for use in the civilian section for energy and medical purposes. Friday, Iran offered to start nuclear talks again, although many believe that such talks are nothing more than a smokescreen in order to draw attention away from the latest developments in the nuclear program.

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