Senior Iran army official calls reports of arms smuggling ship ‘Western-Hebrew propaganda’

Brig.-Gen. Massoud Jazayeri dismissed media reports on Sunday that Israel seized an Iranian ship smuggling weapons.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
Netanyahu at Klos C (photo credit: screenshot)
Netanyahu at Klos C
(photo credit: screenshot)
Iran’s deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces Brig.-Gen. Massoud Jazayeri dismissed media reports on Sunday that Israel seized an Iranian ship smuggling weapons.
“The Americans and the Zionists have probably ordered to Hollywood the production of a movie with the scenario of a cargo ship carrying Iranian weapons to Gaza in Palestine,” said Jazayeri according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
“Their fake and repetitious media products as well as psychological operations will have no achievement other than defeat, humiliation and deepening the Iranian nation and even the world people’s mistrust of them,” he said.
On Saturday, Israel Navy ships escorted the commandeered freighter to Eilat Port after intercepting it last week in the Red Sea, some 150 km. from Port Sudan and 1,500 km. from Israeli shores.
Before being intercepted, the ship was heading for Port Sudan, where the Iranian Quds Force had planned to pick up the rockets and move them overland via Egypt and into Gaza through smuggling tunnels, the IDF said.
Jazayeri said that the Israelis and Americans have admitted that the seizure was a coordinated operation and was part of their “Iranophobia scenario,” which was staged as part of their “chronic fabrications,” which are “common in the culture of liberal democracy and Western-Hebrew propaganda.”
“The westerners should seriously reconsider their warmongering policies against the freedom-seeking nations and the oppressed people of Palestine and also put aside their terrorist and inhumane acts,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that the Islamic Republic is recognized as the strongest power in the Middle East.
“Today, it is clear to everyone that the strongest, greatest and mightiest country in the region is currently the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said Rouhani at an event commemorating Iranian martyrs, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.