Iran Releases Nine Indian Sailors Taken Captive From Seized Tankers; 21 Still Remain In Custody

Nine of the 12 Indian sailors who were part of the crew of detained tanker MT Riah have been released by the Iranian government, reports PTI. However, another 21 Indians are still held in the custody of Iranian authorities.

Of those still in Iran, three are the last Indian crew of MT Riah remaining there, while the other 18 are the crew of another detained tanker, the British-flagged Stena Impero, which was seized in the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranians on 19 July.

Iran has, however, granted the Indian Embassy consular access to all the 18 Indians taken from Stena Impero.

The seizure of the British-flagged tanker last week was widely seen as retaliation by Tehran for the extension of the detention of an Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar (a UK Overseas Territory). The latter had been seized in Gibraltar waters on suspicion of violating EU sanctions barring the trade of oil with Syria.

24 Indian nationals were also part of the crew of the detained Iranian tanker. The Indian High Commission in London sent a team to meet with the sailors captured in Gibraltar, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that it is taking all necessary measures to make sure they’re brought back safe in a short time.

“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,” said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.