JERUSALEM (JTA) — Iran denied that a ship detained by Cyprus was carrying weapons to be delivered to Gaza, according to reports.
The ship was stopped and boarded last month by the U.S. Navy in the Red Sea. The Navy claimed to have found weapons on board but could not confiscate them because of international agreements.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman told a news conference Wednesday that the ship was not carrying weapons.
The ship, which is flying a Cypriot flag, remains anchored off the coast of Cyprus. Cyprus claims the ship is violating a United Nations ban on weapons export, according to the BBC.
Israeli media reported that officials suspected the ship of carrying weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon or Hamas in Gaza.
