"The Sunday Times" claims today that ships owned by the Ofer family that docked in Iran may have carried Israel Air Force Blackhawk helicopters, which were used by commando units. The paper claims that the helicopters were concealed in special containers for infiltration into Iran.
The UK newspaper reports that the commando teams may have conducted reconnaissance missions against Iran’s secret nuclear sites, enabling the Israelis to reach Iran without arousing suspicion.
Last month, the US State Department imposed sanctions on Tanker Pacific Ltd., owned by the Ofer family, for selling a tanker to an Iranian company in breach of sanctions, and thus indirectly assisting that country's nuclear power program.
This has caused the Ofer family great embarrassment in Israel and there have also been revelations that ships owned by the family occasionally docked in Iran. This did not contravene international sanctions but undermined Israeli efforts to isolate Iran.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 5, 2011
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