Good news for India from Iran, 8 Indians 'freed', know why they were arrested

New Delhi: Eight of the 16 Indian nationals detained by Iran have been released. They will return to India after completing their travel formalities. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal provided information about the Indian nationals on Thursday.

Jaiswal further stated that Indian Embassy officials are in constant contact with the Iranian government regarding the remaining eight of the 16. "We have pledged all possible support to those eight citizens. Our officials are making efforts to do so," Jaiswal said.

What was India's request to Iran?

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Randhir Jaiswal stated that information about the Indian nationals was received from Iran on January 17th. Tehran informed the Indian Embassy that the crew of the ship MT Valiant Roar, which included 16 Indian nationals, had been detained in December. Following this, the Indian Consulate in Bandas Abbas repeatedly requested Iranian authorities to meet with the Indian crew.

Who owned the ship?

The embassy further stated that the ship seized on December 15th was owned by a UAE company. Since then, the shipping company has been in constant contact with Iranian agents. The company has asked the agents to arrange food, water, and fuel for the crew on board. Furthermore, they were also requested to arrange for legal representation for them.