Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian assured Indian authorities during a phone call with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, that they would have access to meet with the 17 Indian crew members of an Israel-linked cargo ship seized by Iranian commandos in the Gulf of Hormuz.
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Assurance and Action: Iran Response to Indian Concerns
Amir-Abdollahian provided the assurance in a phone conversation with Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Sunday evening, as per a statement from Iran’s foreign ministry. Jaishankar had raised the issue of releasing the Indian crew members of the cargo vessel MSC Aries during the call.
Amir-Abdollahian stated in the statement that they are actively pursuing information about the seized ship, and Indian government representatives will soon have the opportunity to meet with the crew.
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India’s Response and Advisory Amid Rising Tensions
The Italian-Swiss shipping group MSC has said it is “working closely with the relevant authorities” to ensure the wellbeing of the crew. The ship is associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
India has taken action several times to protect ships with Indian crew members targeted by Iran’s proxy forces such as the Houthi rebels of Yemen since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
On Friday, India issued an advisory urging its citizens not to travel to Iran or Israel following the rise in tensions between the two sides. It also asked all Indian nationals living in the two countries to observe “utmost precautions”.
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