Russia denies hijacked ship carried missiles to Iran

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There is speculation that a Russian crewed freighter hijacked in the Baltic Sea in July, was carrying air-defense systems, possibly destined for Iran. Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the allegations.

The Maltese-registered freighter was officially carrying timber from Finland to Algeria. It was allegedly seized by pirates and was intercepted by the Russian navy near Cape Verde off the west African coast. Since then there has been speculation that the ship was carrying hidden cargo.

Some observers suggest that 5 naval ships and 2 atomic submarines exceeded the military requirement needed to seize a comparatively low value ship. Suspicions also arose when Russia sent three heavy-lift air force jets to bring the crew and eight alleged hijackers back to Russia.

Media reports citing military sources in Israel and Russia, have said the freighter had been loaded with S-300 missiles at a Russia's naval port without the Kremlin's knowledge. Israel's intelligence service had been monitoring the ship and alerted Moscow.

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says the "rumors are absolutely groundless".

Sergei Lavrov said, "As for the S-300 on board the Arctic Sea, I can say this is absolutely not true. Soon the Russian side will carry out an investigation on that ship. We will also invite representatives of the nation where the ship is registered."

The S-300 is one of Russia's most advanced anti-aircraft systems. It can fire at targets up to 150 kilometers away and can travel at more than 2 kilometers per second. Russia had signed a contract to sell S-300s to Iran, but reportedly has not delivered any.