Almost a month after Iranian commandos seized an Israeli-affiliated container ship carrying 17 Indian crew members, 5 of them have been released and departed from Iran.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran, via a social media post late on Friday, said: “5 of the Indian sailors on MSC Aries have been released and departed from Iran today evening.
5 of the Indian sailors on MSC Aries have been released and departed from Iran today evening.
AdvertisementEarlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had dialled his Iranian counterpart H Amir Abdollahian and demanded the release of all the 17 Indian crew members.
In April, one of the Indian sailors on board was allowed to speak to his brother after the Indian Embassy had intervened.
Almost a month after Iranian commandos seized an Israeli-affiliated container ship carrying 17 Indian crew members, 5 of them have been released and departed from Iran.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran, via a social media post late on Friday, said: “5 of the Indian sailors on MSC Aries have been released and departed from Iran today evening. We appreciate the Iranian authorities for their close coordination with the Embassy and Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas.”
The ship’s capture came amid tensions between Israel and Iran, which escalated following an Israeli airstrike on April 1 on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing 16 people, including senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
5 of the Indian sailors on MSC Aries have been released and departed from Iran today evening. We appreciate the Iranian authorities for their close coordination with the Embassy and Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas. — India in Iran (@India_in_Iran) May 9, 2024
The ship is associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Geneva-based MSC later acknowledged the seizure and said a total of 25 crew members were aboard the vessel.
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Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had dialled his Iranian counterpart H Amir Abdollahian and demanded the release of all the 17 Indian crew members. “Discussed the current situation in the region. Stressed the importance of avoiding escalation, exercising restraint, and returning to diplomacy. Agreed to remain in touch,” Jaishankar had tweeted.
In April, one of the Indian sailors on board was allowed to speak to his brother after the Indian Embassy had intervened. Michael, the brother of one of the sailors, had told The Indian Express, “He spoke for about 30 minutes yesterday (Monday) evening, reportedly after Indian officials visited the Iranian officers guarding the ship. They seem to have made a request to allow the crew to use phones and laptops for an hour every day. They were in custody and not allowed to use any communication equipment.”
Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip has inflamed decades-old tensions across the region. With Iranian-backed forces like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthi rebels also involved in the fighting, any new attack in West Asia threatens to escalate that conflict into a wider regional war.
