External Affairs Ministry seeks release of 17 Indians on board cargo ship seized by Iran

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that he had contacted his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian seeking the release of the 17 Indian crew on board a cargo ship seized by Iran.

Amir-Abdollahian told Jaishankar that Tehran would soon allow representatives of the Indian government to meet the crew, Times Now reported citing a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

On Saturday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the cargo vessel MSC Aries near the Strait of Hormuz that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The Revolutionary Guards is part of the Iranian armed forces. The ship was taken into Iranian territorial waters. Of the total 25 crew on board the vessel, 17 are Indian.

The ship was seized by Iran for its alleged links with Israel amid rising tensions in West Asia. The vessel is linked to London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group, The Indian Express reported.

Meanwhile, Indian Navy chief R Hari Kumar on Sunday said that MSC Aries was headed towards an Indian port when it was taken over by the Iranian forces, PTI reported.

Speaking to reporters in Goa, Kumar said that the vessel had “cleared the Strait of Hormuz” and “was coming south” when it was seized.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles towards...

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