CAIRO — Egypt has agreed to allow two Iranian naval vessels to transit the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, a military official said Friday, ending several days of confusion over their planned passage, which Israel’s foreign minister has labeled a provocation.
An Iranian diplomat has said the vessels were heading to Syria for training and that the request to move through the canal is in line with international regulations.
It would be the first time since Iran’s clerical rulers came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that naval vessels from the country have passed through the canal to the Mediterranean.
The movement of Iranian naval ships past Israeli shores is of concern there because Israel considers Iran an existential threat. Those fears stem from Iran’s disputed nuclear program, ballistic missile development, support for militants in the region and its threats to destroy Israel.
The White House said the United States was also closely monitoring the progress of the ships, now in the Red Sea. Their passage comes as the region is being swept by anti-government unrest, including the protests that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak a week ago and left the military in charge of the country.
It was not clear exactly when the ships would pass the canal, which was already closed for the day when the approval was announced on state media.
The vessels, a frigate and a supply ship, received the approval after routine procedures to check there was nothing illegal on board, said an Egyptian military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
The approval had been expected. Canal officials say that under international agreements regulating traffic through the waterway, Egypt can deny transit only in case of war or if the ships do not meet safety requirements.
Still, contradictory statements earlier in the week on whether Egypt was considering the request for passage appeared to signal that Egypt’s military rulers might be grappling with their first diplomatic dilemma.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman refused to comment on the announcement Friday. On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had called the plan “a provocation that proves that Iranian audacity and insolence are increasing.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama on Air Force One that the U.S. was keeping an eye on the ships.
“We also would say that Iran does not have a great track record of responsible behavior in the region. It’s always a concern to us,” Carney said.
Syria’s official news agency carried a statement Thursday from Iran’s ambassador to Syria saying the two ships planned to travel there for training and that the visit would be “carried out according to international laws and norms.”
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said he was “highly skeptical” of that explanation.
