Iran releases the crew of a commercial ship linked to Israel

The Iranian Authorities announced today, Thursday, the release of 25 people from the crew of the commercial ship linked to Israel, which was stopped by the Revolutionary Guard in the territorial waters of the Gulf more than two weeks ago. A statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahian received a phone call from his Estonian counterpart, Margus Tsakana, and the latter asked him to release the ship's crew. Abdullahian informed his Estonian counterpart 'of the release of all crew members of the ship detained for humanitarian reasons,' indicating that the detention of this ship came as a result of it turning off its radar while it was under judicial arrest. During the conversation, the Iranian Foreign Minister considered that this ship endangered the safety of navigation, but Iran released all its crew following a humanitarian approach, and if the ship's captain accompanied them, it was possible for them to return to their country, including Estonia. The Iranian F oreign Ministry statement said that Abdullahian discussed with Tasakana the latest developments in bilateral relations and regional developments. On April 13, the IRGC Navy detained a container ship named 'MCS Aries,' 'linked' to Israel, near the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, according to what Iranian official media reported at the time. This came in the midst of an atmosphere of intense tension between the two countries, Iran and Israel, days after the Tehran consulate building in Damascus was destroyed in a strike attributed to the Hebrew state, and hours before Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones towards Israel in response to targeting the consulate. The detained ship was carrying a crew of 25 people, according to the Italian-Swiss company that operates it, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The ship, which was sailing from the UAE to India, was chartered from Gortal Shipping, a subsidiary of London-based Zodiac Maritime. The owner of part of Zodiac shares is an Israeli billionaire nam ed Eyal Ofer. Source: National Iraqi News Agency