Iran has released the crew of a seized Portuguese-flagged ship linked to Israel, but remains in control of the vessel itself, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the container ship MSC Aries, with a crew of 25, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus.
Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route.
“The seized ship, which turned off its radar in Iran’s territorial waters and jeopardized the security of navigation, is under judicial detention,” Amirabdollahian said, according in a post on X on Thursday.
He said the release of the crew was a humanitarian act and they could return to their countries along with the ship’s captain.
Iran’s foreign ministry had earlier said the Aries was seized for violating maritime laws and for its links to Israel.
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