Iran bowed before India and released 5 Indians aboard an Israeli ship
Iran had seized the cargo ship MSC Aries coming to India on 13 April. Five Indians aboard this ship have been released. All of them have left for India from Tehran.
Iran released 5 Indians
Iran had seized the cargo ship MSC Aries coming to India on 13 April. Five Indians aboard this ship have been released. All of them have left for India from Tehran. The Indian Embassy in Iran has confirmed this. The Indian Embassy has thanked the Iranian authorities.
Let us tell you that the ship which was seized by Iran had the flag of Portugal on it. But its connection was with Israel. There were 25 crew members on board the ship. Of these, 17 were Indians. The remaining 12 Indians had already been released. There were five left, who have also been released.
5 of the Indian sailors on MSC Aries have been released and departed from Iran today evening. We appreciate the Iranian authorities for their close coordination with the Embassy and Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas.
— India in Iran (@India_in_Iran) May 9, 2024
Ship captured amid tension
The capture of this ship took place amid the ongoing tension between Israel and Iran. This increased further when Israel carried out an airstrike on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus on 1 April. In this attack, 16 people including a top official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed. Let us tell you that the cargo ship MSC Aries is connected to London-based Zodiac Maritime.
Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. Iran had announced on April 27 that the remaining members would also be released. People from Portugal were also on board the ship. Portugal had summoned Iran's ambassador on April 16 to demand the release of the ship and its crew.
Jaishankar had turned the phone to Iran
Regarding the release of its citizens, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had called his Iranian counterpart H Amir Abdullahian and demanded the release of all 17 Indian crew members. During this, he also discussed the current situation in the area. Along with this, the importance of avoiding escalating tension, exercising restraint, and returning to diplomacy was stressed.