New Delhi: Indian authorities will be allowed to meet the 17 Indian crew members of an Israel-affiliated cargo vessel that was seized by Iranian commandoes in the Gulf of Hormuz over the weekend, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said.
Amir-Abdollahian gave the assurance while speaking on the phone with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Sunday evening, according to a readout on the conversation from Iran’s foreign ministry. Jaishankar had brought up the release of the Indian crew members of the cargo vessel MSC Aries during the phone call.
“We are following up on the details of the seized ship and soon it will be possible for the representatives of the Indian government to meet with the crew of the said ship,” the readout quoted Amir-Abdollahian as saying.
The readout said Jaishankar “expressed his concern about the situation of the 17 Indian crew members in the ship seized by Iran” and requested assistance from Iran in this regard.
Indian authorities had said hours after the vessel was seized by a special forces unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) about 80 km off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that they were in touch with their Iranian counterparts to ensure the security and early release of 17 Indian nationals among the 25-member crew of the ship.
The 17 Indians on board the Portuguese-flagged and Israel-affiliated cargo vessel include the master. The crew also has four Filipinos, two Pakistanis, one Russian, and one Estonian.
