Iran and Syria have denied Israeli claims that a ship seized in the Mediterranean was carrying Iranian weapons for Hezbollah militants. The Israeli military said that the arms cache was one of the largest it had ever found. It said the arms came from Iran and were bound for Syria and ultimately for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Israel has recently stepped up efforts to combat the smuggling of arms to both Hezbollah and Hamas militants. In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki held a joint news conference with his visiting Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem and dismissed the Israeli allegations.