Officials from India may soon meet the country’s crew who are on a ship seized by Iranian troops.
Seventeen of the 25 crew members of the MSC Aries, a merchant ship with ties to Israel, are Indian.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement following a phone call between top officials from both countries.
Iranian special forces captured the ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, hours before Tehran launched an attack on Tel Aviv.
Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in the unprecedented attack that has heightened tensions between the countries. Tel Aviv said 99% of the weapons had been intercepted.
India called for an “immediate de-escalation” of hostilities between the two countries and urged them to “refrain from violence” and “return to the path of diplomacy.” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also held telephone conversations with his counterparts in Iran and Israel.
Iran said that during the phone call with its Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Mr. Jaishankar expressed concern about the situation of the 17 Indians on the ship and asked for help.
“We are following the details of the seized vessel and soon the Indian government representatives will be able to meet with the crew,” the statement said, without giving a timeline.
The Portuguese-flagged ship is linked to Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The vessel is managed by MSC, which leases the vessel from Gortal Shipping Inc. – a company affiliated with Mr Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime.
It was intercepted by Iranian forces while it was about 80 km off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Footage obtained by Reuters appeared to show troops rappelling onto the ship from a helicopter.
In addition to Indians, the crew also includes citizens from Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia and Estonia, according to a post
The US and Britain criticized the seizure and called on Iranian forces to immediately release the ship.
On Friday, India also issued a travel advisory to its citizens, asking them not to travel to Iran or Israel “until further notice.”
“Anyone currently in Iran or Israel is requested to contact the Indian embassies there and register,” the statement said, adding that they have been asked to “take utmost precautions for to respect their safety and limit their movements to a minimum”. “.
India has sent hundreds of construction workers to Israel to help the country boost its workforce after thousands of Palestinians left the country due to the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza.
On Monday, the Indian Express newspaper reported that India has decided to postpone sending a new group of workers to Israel as it monitors the situation in the country.