Iranian foreign ministry on Monday said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the MSC Aries cargo ship because the freighter “violated maritime laws”. Tehran said it had no doubt that the vessel was linked to Israel.
On April 13, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship, which had 17 Indians onboard, in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s statement comes hours after external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart on the issue.
Jaishankar said he took up the issue of 17 Indian crew members of the cargo ship with Iran counterpart H Amirabdollahian.
Earlier, government sources had confirmed that New Delhi was in touch with Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in the Iranian capital, Tehran and in New Delhi, to ensure the security, welfare and early release of the Indian nationals.
Meanwhile, in response to the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Sunday issued a statement expressing serious concern over the potential threat to regional peace and security. “We are seriously concerned at the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran which threatens the peace and security in the region,” the MEA said in the statement.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had seized the freighter in the Strait of Hormuz days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1. Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route.
In response to reports of the seizure of the MSC Aries, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz accused Iran of piracy and military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said it would “bear consequences for choosing to escalate this situation any further”.
Tensions have soared across the Middle East since the start of Israel’s campaign in Gaza in October, with Israel or its ally the United States clashing repeatedly with Iranian-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.