Cyprus unloads suspect cargo on Iran ship
A number of containers of ship found to be in violation of UN arms sanctions transported to warehouses of Cyprus National Guard
A number of the ship’s containers, escorted by police, were transported to warehouses of the Cyprus National Guard, the Republic’s armed forces, a local news agency reported.
Diplomatic sources say the Monchegorsk is carrying conventional weapons. The cargo will be stored in Cyprus, a government statement said.
"Storage of the cargo does not entail any risk," the statement said. It was not immediately clear how long the cargo would remain in Cyprus.
The ship has been detained off Cyprus, its flag-state, since January 29 after it was boarded by US naval personnel in the Red Sea. US military authorities said the ship was travelling to Syria from Iran and had been carrying arms.
Cypriot and UN Security Council sources say the ship was carrying material from Iran prohibited under UN resolutions. Iran has denied the ship was carrying weapons.
Iran is under UN and US sanctions over its nuclear program, which Western powers suspect is aimed at making bombs but which Tehran says is for generating electricity.
Israeli media had reported the vessel was suspected of carrying weapons to arm Hizbullah in Lebanon or Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
