Iranian media reported that the foreign minister stated that the crew of a Portuguese-flagged vessel seized and connected to Israel have been given consular access and are likely to be released, Reuters highlights.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards captured the container ship MSC Aries, which had a crew of 25, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13. This action followed Tehran’s threat of retaliation against a suspected Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus.
Iran had previously mentioned the possibility of blocking the important shipping route.
As explained, recent attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, have affected global shipping.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed serious concern to his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel during a phone call about the humanitarian aspect of releasing the ship’s crew, as reported by Iranian media.
According to Iran’s foreign ministry, the Aries was seized for violating maritime laws, and they assert that the incident is connected to Israel. The Aries is leased by MSC from Gortal Shipping, a subsidiary of Zodiac Maritime, in which Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer holds partial ownership.
