EAM S Jaishankar dialed his Iranian and Israeli counterparts amidst ongoing tensions and called for immediate de-escalation of the situation. Iran said it has agreed to give Bharat access to 17 of its citizens who are on board the seized Israel-linked ship which was seized by the Iranian military near the Strait of Hormuz on April 13.
During a phone conversation Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister told S Jaishankar that they are following up on the details related to the detained ship and soon the possibility of representatives of the Bharatiya government meeting with the crew of the detained ship ship ‘MSC Aries’ will be provided.
‘The Bharatiya Foreign Minister expressed concern about the situation of 17 Bharatiya crew members on a detained ship by Iran and requested assistance from the Islamic Republic in this regard’, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Dr. Amir Abdollahian mentioned that they are following up on the details related to the detained ship and soon the possibility of representatives of the Bharatiya government meeting with the crew of the mentioned ship will be provided.
The assurance came hours after Bharatiya foreign minister Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart seeking assistance from Iran on the early release of 17 Bharatiyas onboard a seized Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel.
Jaishankar also talked to his Israeli counterpart amidst the ongoing tensions and called for avoiding escalation, exercising restraint, and returning to the path of diplomacy.
In its reaction, Bharat called for immediate de-escalation of the situation and said that its embassies in the region are in close touch with the Bharatiya community in the region.
‘We are seriously concerned at the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran which threatens the peace and security in the region’, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
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