Iran says crew of Israel-linked ship has been given consular access, set for release
In call with Portuguese counterpart, Iranian FM says ‘humanitarian issue of the release of the ship’s crew is of serious concern,’ without giving timeline for their return
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Iran’s foreign minister said members of a seized Portuguese-flagged ship linked to Israel have been granted consular access and are expected to be freed, according to Iranian media reports on Saturday.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the container vessel MSC Aries with a crew of 25 in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus. Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route.
Israel and the United States denounced the seizure of the ship as an act of “piracy.”
It took place hours before Iran carried out its first-ever direct attack on Israel, launching hundreds of drones and missiles, the vast majority of which were intercepted by Israeli and allied air defenses.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel in a telephone call that the “humanitarian issue of the release of the ship’s crew is of serious concern to us,” Iranian media said.
He was quoted as saying the crew would be turned over to their ambassadors in Tehran. The reports did not say when this would occur.
Filmed by a seafarer on board the MSC Aries as Iranian forces seized the vessel.
Innocent seafarers must not pay the price for escalating conflicts they have no role in instigating, nor power to resolve. We call for the immediate release of the 25 seafarers. pic.twitter.com/DxrRWJkvcn
— International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) (@ITFglobalunion) April 15, 2024
Recent attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the ongoing war there between Israel and Hamas, have affected global shipping.
Iran’s foreign ministry has said the Aries was seized for “violating maritime laws,” and that there was no doubt it was linked to Israel.
MSC leases the Aries from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, which is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
The Times of Israel Community.