'Iran brushes off Israeli threats'

The Khark vessel transits through the Suez Canal on February 22, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166783.html

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has downplayed Israel's threats against Iran, saying Tehran will pursue its plans irrespective of Tel Aviv's threats.

“The Zionist regime (Israel) may have caused concern for itself… but we will implement our plans regardless of the regime and in coordination with friend countries in the region,” IRNA quoted Sayyari as speaking to reporters in the Syrian capital city of Damascus on Wednesday.

He made the remarks after two Iranian ships, Khark and Alvand, docked at a Syria port following their passage through the Suez Canal, a strategic international shipping route in Egypt, for the first time since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.

The 1,500-ton patrol frigate Alvand is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, while the larger 33,000-ton supply vessel Khark has 250 crewmembers and can carry three helicopters.

Sayyari said the two Iranian warships docked in Syria's Lattakia Port “on a routine and friendly visit and carry the message of peace and friendship to world countries.”

The Iranian commander refuted involvement of the ships in any military exercise and noted that the two vessels are on a long-term training mission.

Sayyari noted that the Egyptian government has authorized the passage of the two ships through the Suez Canal and added that they are currently sailing in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Egyptian official news agency, MENA, reported on Friday that Cairo had "agreed to allow the two Iranian warships to transit the Suez Canal."

Israel, however, has placed its Navy on alert, branding the naval movement as a cause for 'concern' and an act of provocation.

On Tuesday, Iran's Deputy Army Commander Brigadier General Abdul-Rahim Mousavi said that Israel has been outraged by the passage of the two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal.

“The Zionist regime was shocked by the presence of Iran's naval ships in the Suez Canal and this is the reason that the regime has made propagandas on the matter over recent days,” he added.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday expressed concerns over the passage of the two Iranian ships through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean.

"Israel views with gravity this Iranian initiative and other developments that reinforce what we have said in past years about Israel's security needs," he claimed in a statement released by his office.

"Today we are witnessing the instability of the region in which we live and in which Iran is trying to profit by extending its influence by dispatching two warships to cross the Suez Canal," added the premier.

The United States -- the most influential NATO member -- has also announced that it will be "watching carefully to see where these ships go and the implications of that."