Reuters
06 June 2010
(Corrects quote in paragraph 2 to make clear reference is to Revolutionary Guards naval forces)
TEHRAN, June 6 (Reuters) – Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards are ready to provide a military escort to cargo ships trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday.
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards naval forces are fully prepared to escort the peace and freedom convoys to Gaza with all their powers and capabilities,” Ali Shirazi, Khamenei’s representative inside the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency.
Any intervention by the Iranian military would be considered highly provocative by Israel which accuses Iran of supplying weapons to Hamas, the Islamist movement which rules Gaza.
The Guards, with their own navy, air force and command structure separate from the regular armed forces, are seen as fiercely loyal to the values of the Islamic Republic.
“If the Supreme Leader issues an order for this then the Revolutionary Guard naval forces will do their best to secure the ships,” Shirazi said. “It is Iran’s duty to defend the innocent people of Gaza.”
Last Monday Israeli troops killed nine activists on board one ship in a convoy trying to deliver aid to Gaza, sparking international outrage, especially in Muslim countries.
Another ship was boarded on Saturday and pro-Palestinian activists have promised more as they challenge the blockade imposed four years ago with the stated aim of stopping arms getting to Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will continue to stop ships reaching the shore and creating “an Iranian port in Gaza”, a reference to Iran’s support for Hamas.
(Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Noah Barkin)
H/T Jim Hoft who writes, “What could go wrong?” Precisely. The IRG doesn’t mind brutalizing and killing their own young “Green movement” protesters since the elections of last June, but want to protect “the innocent people of Gaza”? Puhleez. Apart from the Jordanians, no Arab group in the Middle East has any genuine concern for the Palestinians, other than as political pawns. It seems abundantly clear to us that the government of Iran no longer fears America or her President, so the Israelis are pretty much on their own, it seems.
