The passage of two Iranian naval ships through the Suez Canal is being seen as Tehran's attempt to sound out the new post-Mubarak Egypt, writes Rasha Saad No sooner did Israel sigh in relief as Egypt's newly empowered military government said it would honour all international treaties, including Camp David, than it was put on alert by news that the first Iranian naval ships were to cross the Suez Canal since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. After a week of speculation and conflicting reports, the two Iranian naval vessels entered the Suez Canal on Tuesday en route to Syria, the first time in three decades that Tehran has sent military ships through the strategic waterway. The ships, a frigate and a supply vessel, coming from an area near Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Jeddah, passed the Suez Canal and reached the Mediterranean later in the day. The Iranian ships were headed for a training mission in Syria -- a close ally of Iran and an arch foe of Israel. This would also be the first time in many years that Iranian naval ships dock in a Syrian port. Iran said earlier that the flotilla was on a yearlong intelligence gathering and training mission to prepare cadets to defend Iran's cargo ships and oil tankers from the threat of attack by Somali pirates, according to the semi- official Fars News Agency. According to reports, Iran's request to use the waterway specified that the vessels do not hold nuclear or chemical materials, and aren't carrying or delivering weapons. Both Israeli and US officials raised concern, since they monitored the two ships in the Red Sea, at the canal's southern end. Earlier this week, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that the passage of the Iranian vessels would be a "provocation" to Israel. He said Israel would not "ignore forever" such acts. The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, on Sunday accused Iran of trying to expand its influence in the region by planning to send naval ships through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean. "Iran is trying to take advantage of the situation," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting, in reference to unrest spreading across the region. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters: "We're monitoring that, obviously, but we also would say that Iran does not have a great track record for responsible behaviour in the region, which is always a concern for us." According to Egyptian national media and military sources, Iran's request was approved solely by the Defence Ministry. Diplomatic and military sources in Egypt downplayed the significance of the incident, saying it was in accordance with international law. Egypt cannot forbid any vessel from passing through the canal unless that country is at war with Egypt. Hossam Zaki, spokesman of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, said that accepting the Iranian request was in accordance with the Constantinople Convention of 1888. However, the request was largely seen as an Iranian attempt to test the waters following the toppling of Hosni Mubarak. "Iran is using the request to pass the two military ships as a testing balloon to what it perceives as a new Egypt," an Iranian source close to Iranian diplomatic circles told Al-Ahram Weekly. According to the source, there was no pre- agreement between Egypt and Iran in that matter. "Iranian ships asked for Egypt's permission after heading to the Red Sea. Obviously, there were no contacts during the last three weeks. It seems that Iran decided to take its chance and ask Cairo for the first time to give it permission. And it worked," the source said. Egyptian-Iranian ties broke down following the Islamic Revolution and the signing of the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty the same year. Relations further worsened when Egypt hosted the Iranian Shah. Later, the relationship improved slightly, with contacts currently channelled through interest sections in the two capitals. Recent attempts, however, to restore full diplomatic ties failed to bear fruit. Analysts believe that the Egyptian army, in taking a positive decision concerning Iran's request, would be aware of the message the decision would send to Tehran. "During this time of great turmoil in Egypt, nobody in the international community or inside the country would raise an eyebrow if Cairo said no to the Iranian request. Therefore, the positive decision can only be conscious," an Egyptian diplomatic source told the Weekly. According to the source, while the decision may not indicate a shift in Egypt's foreign policy, which will be drawn solely by the incoming Egyptian president and his regime, one way of reading the military's decision would be that it is a message to Israel that while Egypt's current military rulers will respect international treaties, "they are not to be taken for granted in issues that touch on the country's sovereignty."
