CAIRO, Feb 19, (Agencies): Egypt has approved the passage of two Iranian navy ships through the Suez Canal, an army source said, a move that could annoy Israel, whose foreign minister has called Iran’s actions a provocation. “Egypt has agreed to the passage of two Iranian ships through the Suez Canal,” the army source told Reuters. State television and Egypt’s official news agency subsequently reported the news, without giving sources. Iran’s request was an early diplomatic test for Egypt’s interim military government, which has close ties to the United States and has been ruling since Feb. 11 when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in the face of a popular revolt.

Egypt’s Western allies are watching for hints of any shift in policy towards its Middle East neighbours, especially Israel with which it has a peace treaty. The two ships would be the first Iranian military vessels to transit the canal since Iran’s 1979 revolution. To navigate the strategic waterway, naval vessels need the approval of Egypt’s foreign and defence ministries. It was not clear when the ships would enter the canal. They were not on the list of vessels scheduled to sail through on Saturday, a Suez Canal Authority official said. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday that Iran’s plan to send the ships through the canal en route to Syria was a “provocation”.

Israel’s state-funded Channel One television said later Lieberman, a stridently far-right partner in the conservative coalition, had spoken out of turn and the Defence Ministry “had preferred to ignore” the ships’ approach. There was no immediate comment from Israel after approval was given.
Egypt’s military said the request stated the Iranian ships did not carry military equipment or nuclear or chemical cargo. It said they were in the Red Sea, at the canal’s southern end.
An Iranian diplomat has said the vessels were heading to Syria for training and that the request to move through the canal is in line with international regulations.

It would be the first time since Iran’s clerical rulers came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that naval vessels from the country have passed through the canal to the Mediterranean.
The movement of Iranian naval ships past Israeli shores is of concern there because Israel considers Iran an existential threat. Those fears stem from Iran’s disputed nuclear program, ballistic missile development, support for militants in the region and its threats to destroy Israel.
The White House said the U.S. was also closely monitoring the progress of the ships, now in the Red Sea. Their passage comes as the region is being swept by anti-government unrest, including the protests that toppled Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak a week ago and left the military in charge of the country.

It was not clear exactly when they would pass the canal, which was already closed for the day when the approval was announced on state media.
The vessels, a frigate and a supply ship, received the approval after routine procedures to check there was nothing illegal on board, said an Egyptian military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
The approval had been expected. Canal officials say that under international agreements regulating traffic through the waterway, Egypt can only deny transit in case of war or if the ships do not meet safety requirements.