Iran Deplores Israel’s Assault on Swedish Aid Ship

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham referred to the continued cruel and inhumane siege of Gaza and the catastrophic conditions reigning the strip as a result of the Zionist regime’s criminal aggression last summer.

She said assault on Marianne completely ran against the international law and the international bodies and world states are needed to take action against the move.

Afkham also said it was imperative to remove the inhumane boycott imposed on Gaza, end the siege and support the residents of the region.

A flotilla of four boats carrying pro-Palestinian activists had been trying to reach Gaza to highlight the Israeli blockade of the territory, with the attempt coming five years after a similar bid ended in a deadly raid.

Three of the boats were said to have turned back while a fourth, the Marianne of Gothenburg, was boarded by the Israeli navy and was hijacked to an Israeli port.

A number of flotillas had reached Gaza prior to May 2010, when 10 Turkish activists on board the Mavi Marmara were killed in an Israeli raid on the six-ship flotilla.

Since then, several ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists have tried to reach Gaza, but the Israeli navy didn’t allow them.