Iran on Thursday released seven crew members including five Indians from a Portuguese-flagged ship that was seized in the Gulf on April 13, according to Portugal’s foreign ministry.
The seized MSC Aries had 25 crew members on board, with seven members – five Indians, one Filipino, and one Estonian – being freed on Thursday. One Indian crew member had already been released prior to this development.
The vessel was seized close to the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
Iran alleged that the container ship had connections to Israel at the time of its capture, coinciding with Iranian forces launching a large-scale drone attack against Israel. This attack came after an Israeli airstrike in Damascus that resulted in the deaths of seven Iranian military officers.
On April 16, Portugal had summoned Iran’s ambassador, urging the release of vessel and its crew. Iran later announced on April 27 that it was considering releasing additional crew members.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson previously said that the ship’s owners were linked to Israel, declaring, “It is certain that this ship belongs to the Zionist regime.”
