Iran has freed nine Indian crew members of a Panama-flagged tanker, MT Riah which was detained by the Iranian coastguard on July 13, with 12 Indian crew members on board. Further to the advancement, the foreign ministry has appealed for the release of three remaining crew members held from the same ship. However, no reason has been provided as to why the three were being held. Iranian state TV aired footage of the vessel a few days after it was seized, saying it had been detained by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards for smuggling fuel.
"Nine crew members have been released and they will be on their way to India soon," foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said. "Our mission in Iran has requested the concerned Iranian authorities for the release of remaining crew members."
However, 21 Indians are still in detention in Iran - three from MT Riah and 18 from British oil tanker Stena Impero which was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz for alleged violation of international maritime rules. Indian and Iranian authorities said this week Iran had granted India consular access to 18 Indian crew seized on another ship, the British-flagged Stena Impero, that Iran seized in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19.
The seizure of the British tanker in the world’s most important waterway for the oil trade has deepened a crisis between Iran and the West that was triggered in May when the United States tightened sanctions, effectively barring all countries from buying Iranian oil. Iran said it had seized the Stena Impero because it had collided with a fishing boat.
India’s junior foreign minister, V. Muraleedharan, said India was pushing for the release of the Indian crew on the British vessel. India has had long-standing political and energy ties with Iran, but it has cut off all its oil supplies from it because of US sanctions.
Also, 24 Indian crew members, who were on board shipping vessel ‘Grace 1’, detained by Gibraltar police authorities, are also under detention. The boats have been seized amid ongoing tensions between Iran and the US since Washington began reimposing sanctions on Tehran. Indian officials have met the 24 Indian crew members who were on board shipping vessel ‘Grace 1’ and assured them that the government will take necessary steps to ensure their release and repatriation, the External Affairs Ministry said. Iranian oil tanker ‘Grace 1’ was seized off the Spanish coast earlier this month by British marines and Gibraltar police.
“Crew’s morale is high. Assured all assistance for early release. HCI London will facilitate necessary travel document and related arrangements,” Muraleedharan tweeted. Raveesh Kumar said India had sought consular access and a three-member team visited and met all the 24 crew members. “What we saw was that the crew members were very calm, very composed, and there was no sense of panic. They had been in regular touch with their family members. We had assured them that the government of India will undertake all the necessary steps to ensure their early release and repatriation,” Kumar said at a media briefing.
