Of the 25 crew members aboard the container ship seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards off the UAE coast on Saturday, 17 are Indian, sources have stated.

The container ship, MSC Aries, was seized close to the Strait of Hormuz by finishing up a “heliborne operation”, and it’s now headed in direction of the territorial waters of Iran, the nation’s state-owned IRNA information company reported. 

A supply stated, “We’re conscious that Iran has taken management of a cargo ship ‘MSC Aries’. We now have learnt that there are 17 Indian nationals onboard. We’re in contact with the Iranian authorities via diplomatic channels, each in Tehran and in Delhi, to make sure the safety, welfare and early launch of the Indian nationals.” 

The ship’s operator, the Italian-Swiss group MSC, confirmed it had been boarded by Iranian authorities. “We remorse to verify that MSC Aries owned by Gortal Delivery Inc which is affiliated to Zodiac Maritime, and chartered to MSC, has been boarded by Iranian authorities through helicopter. She has 25 crew onboard, and we’re working carefully with the related authorities to make sure their wellbeing, and the secure return of the vessel,” the corporate stated in a press release. 

The seizure of the vessel comes amid heightened tensions within the Center East. There are apprehensions of an assault on Israel by Iran, which has vowed retaliation for an airstrike on the consular part of its embassy in Syria’s Damascus virtually two weeks in the past. Seven folks, together with, two generals had been killed within the airstrike.

Iran has stated that the vessel is “associated to the Zionist regime (Israel) within the Gulf”. Two web sites that monitor transport site visitors, vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com, stated MSC Aries is a Portuguese-flagged container ship and its final reported place was within the Gulf.  

“A container ship named ‘MCS Aries’ was seized by the Sepah (Guards) Navy Particular Forces by finishing up a heliborne operation,” the IRNA company reported.

The operation, it stated, was carried out “close to the Strait of Hormuz” – between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman – which is important to world commerce, and “this ship has now been directed in direction of the territorial waters” of Iran.

‘Will Bear Penalties’

After the seizure of the ship, the Israeli military warned towards escalating the battle within the area.

“Iran will bear the results for selecting to escalate the state of affairs any additional,” navy spokesman Daniel Hagari stated in a press release.

“Iran is the world’s greatest state sponsor of terror. Its community of terror does not simply threaten the folks of Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria; the regime in Iran fuels the conflict in Ukraine and past… Israel is on excessive alert. We now have elevated our readiness to guard Israel from additional Iranian aggression. We’re additionally ready to reply,” the assertion stated.