Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Reza Shibani said Sunday that Iran will send a ship with humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, denying reports that the Iranian flotilla had been canceled, Israel Radio reported.
Shibani said that the timing of the flotilla leaving from his country will depend on when various other flotillas are planning to set sail for Gaza.
He added that Teheran asked Egypt if they would allow Iran to send humanitarian aid to Gaza through the air and is awaiting a reply.
The Iranian Red Crescent announced earlier on Sunday that the aid ship it intended to send to Gaza will be postponed after Egypt refused to allow any vessels belonging to the Iranian organization from entering the Suez Canal.
"The ship's departure has been postponed because of more restrictions imposed by the Zionist occupying regime on the movement of aid to Gaza and prevention of the ship from using the Suez Canal," the Iranian Red Crescent said in a statement sent to AFP.
On Saturday another Iranian lawmaker said that the Islamic Republic would not be sending a blockade-busting ship to Gaza , citing Israeli "restrictions."
Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash told the semiofficial ISNA news agency that instead of sending a ship, an Iranian delegation of lawmakers would travel to Lebanon and sail on one of the aid ships expected to head to Gaza from there.
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