DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
The United Arab Emirates has impounded a vessel at Dubai's huge Jebel Ali port bound for Iran to verify whether chemicals found aboard contravene U.N. and U.A.E. regulations, The Financial Times reports Friday.
The move, which Iranian analysts say is causing concern in Tehran, comes as tighter international sanctions close their grip on the Iranian financial system, with the U.A.E. - a vital trade partner for the Islamic republic - becoming more active in attempts to rein in Iranian business interests.
In September the U.A.E., a strong U.S. ally, introduced an export control law to prevent traders using the country to transport materials that could be used in, for example, nuclear weapons or explosive devices used against allied troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The test results are due to come back in a "matter of days", a U.A.E. official source said. The authorities had intercepted other vessels and would continue to do so as "normal procedure", he said.