Iran Seizes Four Indian Fishing Vessels, Detains Sixteen Crew Members

The Iranian naval guards have seized four Indian fishing vessels for ‘trespassing on its territorial waters’ in Arvand waterway. Sixteen crew members were also detained as ‘border intruders’.

According to Tehran based Press TV, Colonel Mohammad-Ali Musivand, commander of Abadan Navy Base, told the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) that the Indian vessels were seized on Saturday morning during a patrol by Iranian naval forces. Sixteen crew members were arrested as “border intruders.”

The Shatt al-Arab or Arvand waterway is a 200 km river at the confluence of Eupharates and the Tigris near Basra port city of Iraq.

All detained people will be freed after Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes necessary measures to resolve the issue. Iran closely monitors all movements in its territorial waters to protect marine life and ensure the security of the country’s sea borders, APN news reported quoting unnamed source as saying Sunday.

Indian officials have not reacted to the incident yet.