In a major diplomatic breakthrough, the Indian Embassy in Iran announced the release of five Indian sailors who were onboard an Israeli vessel seized by Tehran. The sailors have since departed from Iran and the embassy thanked Iranian authorities for their close cooperation with the Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas.
In a post on X, India ‘s MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said “Five of the Indian sailors aboard the 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.”
On April 13, 2024, the Israeli linked cargo ship was seized by Tehran which contained 17 Indian nationals on board The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N) seized the containership near the Strait of Hormuz. The MSC Aries was last observed on April 12, sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Dubai. Ann Tessa Joseph from Kerala one of the crew members of the Israeli linked cargo ship seized by Iran a day later safely returned to her native place on April 18.
The ships 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 and including senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Ministry of External Affairs that one of the 17 crew members returned safely to India. The others will be released once their contractual obligations are fulfilled, it said. “One girl who was there has returned. We asked for consular access for the rest 16 members and we received that and officers met them Their health is good and there is no problem of any kind on the ship Concerning their return, there are some technicalities and contractual obligations. Once they are done, it will decide their return, Jaiswal said on April 25, 2024.
Iranian Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, has also affirmed that the Indian nationals, crew members of MSC Aries are not being detained and are free to depart. EAM Subramaniam Jaishankar spoke to his counterpart, Hosein Amirabdollah bring up the release of the 17 crew members.
“The ship, which turned off its radar in the territorial waters of Iran and endangered the security of navigation, is detained under judicial rules,” Amir Abdollah had responded to the Estonian side regarding the Portuguese ship seized in the territorial waters of Iran and release of the crew.
Moreover, in a telephonic conversation between Iranian and Estonian officials, Iran conveyed that it had already released the ship’s crew members on “humanitarian grounds” and if the ship’s captain accompanies them, the crew which also contained Estonians can return to their country.
