Iranian Suez-bound warships delayed 48 hours

RT - 

Two Iranian warships have been delayed entry into Egypt's Suez Canal by 48 hours. This comes after Israel and the US expressed strong concerns over the dispatch.

The ships were initially due to sail the canal at 6.00 Monday morning en route to the Mediterranean and further on to Syria. The permission was gained from Egypt’s authorities on Friday.

The ships, a frigate and a supply ship, will be the first Iranian war vessels to navigate the waters since the country's Islamic Revolution in 1979. The BBC reports that Iran plans to send its navy forces to the Mediterranean Sea for a year with the purpose of intelligence and information collection.

Iranian TV announced on Sunday that the ships had already passed through the canal, which was later refuted by the canal’s administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he viewed Iran's dispatch of the ships “with utmost gravity.” He regarded it as an attempt by Teheran to exploit the current situation in the Middle East to extend its regional influence.

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