Iran was transporting weapons to Syria via Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish authorities suspecting nuclear arms on board an Iranian cargo plane bound for Syria found less lethal weapons and ammunition, which however still fall under a UN resolution, Turkish daily Milliyet reported on March 22.

The plane was forced to land in Turkey on March 20 on suspicion it was carrying illegal weapons or bomb-making materials to Syria. Turkish authorities found rocket launchers, mortars, rifles, explosive materials and other illegal ammunition.

Turkey has so far declined to comment the newspaper's information, according to RIA Novosti.

This is the second time in a week Turkish authorities have forced an Iranian plane to land for an inspection. A similar case occurred on March 15, but no suspicious material was found.

Aksam newspaper reported that Turkey has been grounding Iranian planes for inspection since June 2010, in terms of NATO requirements which Turkey is a party of.

The United States has repeatedly warned Ankara about the possibility of carrying explosive materials or weapons to Syria on Iranian aircraft in violation of UN resolutions.