India to soon get access to 17 Indian sailors on seized vessel

New Delhi: Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said that Tehran will “soon” allow Indian authorities to meet 17 Indian crew members of a cargo vessel that was seized by Iran’s military near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

Amir-Abdollahian conveyed this to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a telephonic conversation on Sunday, according to an Iranian foreign ministry readout. It said Amir-Abdollahian also apprised details of Iran’s “legitimate defence” and punitive measures against the Israeli regime, in a reference to Tehran’s missile and drone attacks on the Jewish nation. The Iranian foreign minister urged the Indian government to maintain its active role through international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, to halt the war in Gaza as it is at the core of the current crisis in the region, the readout said. In the talks, Jaishankar called for the release of the Indians onboard the Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel MSC Aries.