MSC Aries: One Indian Woman Sailor Returns, 16 Other Indians Still in Iran
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: The sole Indian female sailor aboard the container ship MSC Aries, which was detained by Iranian security forces five days ago, has been released and safely returned to Kochi on Thursday afternoon, the Ministry of External Affairs announced.
The remaining Indian sailors are not in Iranian custody but remain there as they cannot leave the ship till a relief crew and vessel arrives, diplomatic sources in the Iranian embassy said.
Last Saturday, Iran’s special forces confiscated MSC Aries, a container ship with Israeli links, near the Strait of Hormuz, hours before Tehran launched unprecedented drone and missile strikes on Israel. Out of the 25 crew members on board, 17 were Indian.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Ann Tessa Joseph, who was an Indian deck cadet on MSC Aries, was allowed to leave due to the “concerted efforts of Indian Mission in Tehran and the Iranian Government”.
Thanking the Indian mission, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar tweeted that her return was due to “Modi ki Guarantee”, using the electoral slogan of the ruling party for the Lok Sabha elections.
She landed at Cochin international airport on Thursday afternoon, where she was received by the Regional Passport Officer.
About the remaining 16 Indian crew members, the MEA press note said that Indian mission was in touch with them. “The crew members are in good health and in contact with their family members in India”.
A source in the Iranian embassy in New Delhi clarified that all the Indian sailors are free. “They can return India whenever they want. They are under command of the captain,” he said.
While the woman cadet left under a special permission, the rest will have to wait since the ship is still under Iranian custody and they will have to wait for a relief crew.
The Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian had earlier conveyed that Iran would give access to the Indian crew during a phone call with the external affairs minister Jaishankar.
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