Five Indian sailors who were part of a crew on an Israeli-linked vessel seized by Tehran have been released and left Iran on Thursday, according to the Indian embassy in Iran. The embassy appreciated the Iranian authorities for their cooperation with the Indian Embassy and Consulate in Bandar Abbas during this process.
The cargo ship, MSC Aries, which had 17 Indian nationals on board, was seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy on April 13 near the Strait of Hormuz. The ship was last seen on April 12 sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Dubai, ANI reported.
Earlier, one of the crew members, Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala, returned safely to India on April 18.
The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that one crew member had returned safely to India and that the others were safe. They mentioned that the release of the remaining crew members depended on contractual obligations.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the release of the crew members with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in light of the seizure of the container vessel.
