He did not say how many vessels had passed through the canal, or what missions they were planning to carry out in the Mediterranean, but said the flotilla had previously docked in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. Two Iranian ships, the destroyer Shahid Qandi and supply vessel Kharg, had docked in the Red Sea port on February 4, according to Iranian media. But Iran has made claims about its military moves before that have later proved wrong. There was speculation the ships may have been on the way to Syria, where Iran has supported President Bashar al-Assad's ruthless repression of an uprising.