BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Iran’s violent intentions will be laid bare when the ship carrying rockets seized by Israeli naval forces on Wednesday reaches Israel this weekend.

Israeli forces took control of the ship, the Klos-C in international waters near the Sudanese coast, a full 930 miles from Israel. The vessel was found to be shipping dozens of Syrian-made M-302 rockets, which had been sent to Tehran from Damascus and were headed for Port Sudan, from where it is thought the rockets would have been smuggled overland into the Gaza Strip. However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif denied yesterday that Iran had any involvement in the shipment, taking to Twitter to condemn “failed lies.”

However, speaking during a visit to Los Angeles, Netanyahu responded by saying that, “In another few days, the ship will arrive in Eilat, and we will see who is the liar. We will reveal before the whole world the true face of Iran.” The Klos-C is being towed by the Israeli navy with its multi-national crew and is expected to arrive at the southern Israeli port of Eilat on Saturday.

Netanyahu further outlined what he said are Iran’s true intentions. He commented, “Iran today is calling for the destruction of Israel,” adding, “Building the weapons of mass death and dispatching the weapons of immediate death right now to the worst terrorist groups in the world, that’s the true face of Iran.”

White House spokesperson Jay Carney said that although Iran is responsible for such actions, the diplomatic efforts to find a solution over Tehran’s nuclear development would continue. He said, “Even as we continue efforts to resolve our concerns over Iran’s nuclear program through diplomacy, we will continue to stand up to Iran’s support for destabilizing activities in the region, in coordination with our partners and allies.” During his visit to the United States this week, Netanyahu has argued that Iran must dismantle its entire means of uranium enrichment.