NEW DELHI, Apr 13
Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, at least 17 Indians are learnt to be on board the Israeli-linked cargo ship seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz.
Commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelled down a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship and seized the vessel on Saturday.
Iranian state-run news agency IRNA said a special forces unit of the Guard’s navy carried out the attack on the vessel, the Portuguese-flagged ‘MSC Aries’, a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Geneva-based MSC later acknowledged the seizure and said 25 crew were aboard the vessel. IRNA said the Guard would take the vessel into Iranian territorial waters.
Sources in New Delhi said that there were 17 Indians nationals on board, and Delhi was in touch with Tehran on the security, welfare and early release of the Indians. “We are aware that a cargo ship ‘MSC Aries’ has been taken control by Iran. We have learnt that there are 17 Indian nationals onboard. We are in touch with the Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure security, welfare and early release of Indian nationals,” they said.
Last week, the naval head of the Revolutionary Guards, Alireza Tangsiri, said it could close the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, if deemed necessary. The tensions between the two rival nations flared after Iran has vowed revenge for the April airstrike. Tehran has been threatening to avenge the death of two of its generals who were killed in an airstrike in Syrian capital Damascus on April 1. Tehran has blamed Israel for the strike, although Israel has not commented yet. Suspected Israeli Warplanes bombed Iran’s embassy in Damascus, Syria on April 1 in a strike that Iran said killed seven of its military advisers, three of them senior commanders, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in its Quds Force.
Notably, Zahedi was directly responsible for managing Iran’s relationships with Lebanese Hezbollah, the Syrian government and Shia militias in the country, and Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and the West Bank.
While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and it shall be”. In response, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”
India has already issued a travel advisory where they have asked Indians to not travel to Iran and Israel “in view of the prevailing situation in the region”. US media reports cited US officials who believe that there could be reprisal attacks by Iran in the next 48 hours.
