Nigeria
says the artillery rockets and other weapons, found at a Lagos port last month
in shipping containers labeled as building supplies, originated in Iran and may
have been destined for Nigerian politicians intending violence if they lose in
upcoming elections. Nigeria said last week it would take action against Iran if
an investigation shows it violated international law and UN sanctions,
suggesting it might report Tehran to the world body.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says that an Iranian implicated in the case
has explained the situation to Nigerian authorities. “I think the
misunderstandings have been settled in this field,” Mottaki said, according to
the state news agency IRNA.
Mottaki,
who visited Lagos last week, also said that he had replaced Iran’s ambassador
to Nigeria. Mottaki did not say whether the replacement was connected to the
weapons case.
Mottaki
did not elaborate on the nature of the misunderstanding or how it was resolved.
His statement was the highest-level Iranian comment so far on the case. In late
October, Iran’s then-ambassador to Nigeria, Hussein Abdullahi, said there was
no clear evidence linking his country to the shipment.
There was
no immediate reaction from Nigerian officials to Mottaki’s claim the case had
been resolved. But in a sign that tensions continued between the two countries,
Nigeria postponed a soccer match between the two country’s national teams
scheduled for Wednesday in Tehran.
Musa
Amadu, the Nigerian federation’s acting secretary-general, told The Associated
Press on Monday that the match was postponed “due to the non-availability of
our key players.”
But he
didn’t a deny a connection with the political events, saying “it’s for you to
speculate.”
An
international shipping company based in France CMA CGM said it had picked up
the containers in which the weapons were hidden in the southern Iranian port of
Bandar Abbas.
The
shipment stopped in Mumbai, India, before heading to Lagos. On Friday, Nigerian
Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobi said Iranian officials confirmed the
consignment originated in Iran.
During
his visit, Mottaki cleared the way for Nigerian security officials to interview
one of two Iranians who Nigeria says organized the shipment, Ajumogobia said.
The Nigerians say the two have taken refuge in the Iranian Embassy.
The
interception of the weapons had drawn sharp criticism of Iran from Nigeria. In
a 2007 resolution stepping up sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, the
UN Security Council banned Iranian arms exports, forbidding the sale or supply
of weapons by Iran, whether directly or indirectly. It requires nations to
prevent any such transfers and prevent their citizens from obtaining any
weapons from Iran.
But
Mottaki on Monday depicted the tensions as eased. He said he and the Nigerian
foreign minister had held talks on bilateral relations and that Ajumogobia
would visit Tehran.
