Egypt refused to inspect Iran ship

Egypt's Navy refused a U.S. request to stop and inspect an Iranian weapons ship heading for violence-torn Syria through the Suez Canal, al-Arabiya reported. "The Suez Canal is a narrow waterway and it is impossible for military action to take place there," Mohab Mamish, recently appointed chairman of the Suez Canal Authority and former Egyptian Navy commander told al-Arabiya. The U.S. request was made recently, the report said. Mamish said the authority is notified 24 hours in advance of which ships will pass through the canal and the cargo they are carrying. The information is verified before the ships are permitted to pass, he said. "My main goal since I was appointed chairman of the Suez Canal Authority [Aug. 12] is to secure all ships passing through the waterway," he said. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. In February of 2011, two Iranian navy vessels were permitted to sail through the canal and were later spotted at the Syrian port of Latakia, Haaretz reported at the time. Thousands of people have been killed in the continuing conflict in Syria.