WORLD : Iran’s foreign minister said on 27 April that Tehran plans to release the crew of the MSC Aries, an Israel-linked ship seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) near the Strait of Hormuz in April, Iranian media reported.
IRGC commandos seized the Portuguese-flagged container vessel and its crew of 25 people on 13 April, days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for Israel’s bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus two weeks prior.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian 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.”
He said the crew would be turned over to the ambassadors of their respective countries in Tehran but did not give a timeline.
Iran’s foreign ministry has said the Aries was seized for “violating maritime laws” and confirmed it was linked to Israel.
MSC leases the Aries from an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, which is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
The seizure was viewed as a warning to the US and Israel that Iran is capable of closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil exports pass daily.
The Iranian seizure reinforced efforts by Yemen’s Ansarallah-led armed forces to attack Israel-linked commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Yemeni leaders announced the ban on Israeli-linked ships in November in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who are being subjected to genocide by Israel.
BY News Desk
Join: 👉 https://t.me/acnewspatriots
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AC.NEWS
Disclaimer: This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). AC.News will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article www.ac.news websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner. Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Discussion about this post