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Iran cancels plan to send ship to Gaza | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – An Iranian lawmaker says the country’s plan to send a blockade-busting ship from Iran to Gaza has been canceled.

The semiofficial ISNA news agency quotes Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash as saying Saturday the Iranian delegation will instead try to sail from Lebanon. He cited Israeli “restrictions” for the cancellation.

Iran had announced Tuesday that it would send a ship carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists to Gaza. Israel warned its archenemy to drop the plan.

Israel has eased its three-year-old blockade of Gaza under international pressure following its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last month.

Israel considers Iran a threat because of its suspect nuclear program, its long-range missiles and its support for Lebanese and Gaza militants.