After almost a month of efforts by the ministry, five of the 16 Indian crew members stranded in Iran were released and departed from Tehran on Thursday evening, marking a big diplomatic win for India. Iran’s Revolutionary Coast Guard had seized an Israeli-affiliated cargo ship, MSC Aries, last month, which had 17 Indian crew members onboard, along with crew members of other nationalities. One of the 17 crew members, Ann Tessa Joseph hailing from Kerala, was released on April 18, leaving 16 crew members behind.
Taking to the microblogging platform, X, the Indian Embassy in Tehran announced that 5 of the 16 Indian sailors held in Iran departed for India on Thursday evening. The Indian embassy further appreciated the Iranian authorities for closely coordinating with India to ensure the timely and safe release of the Indian crew members.
Notably, the seizure of the Portuguese-flagged ship, linked to Israel, came amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, which escalated ever since the Iranian embassy in Damascus was struck, killing 16 people, including senior officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Since then, Iran vowed to take revenge, subsequently seizing the Portuguese cargo ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is a part of Israel’s billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
Amidst the tensions in the Middle East, India promptly launched diplomatic measures after the Indian crew was stranded in Iran. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar dialed his Iranian counterpart H Amir Abdollahian, demanding the immediate release of all the crew members. Additionally, concerning the Iran-Israel conflict, EAM had also stressed the importance of avoiding escalation, exercising restraint, and returning to diplomacy in order to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from intensifying into a full-fledged war.
It is also essential to note here that one of the 17 Indian sailors seized in Iran, Ann Tessa Joseph from Kerala was released from Iran and returned safely to India on April 18. Confirming Joseph’s return, the Ministry of External Affairs had stated that others will also be released once the contractual obligations are fulfilled.
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