Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that the crew of a seized Portuguese-flagged ship linked to Israel which included Indians was granted consular access and was expected to be freed, Reuters reported on Saturday (Apr 27) citing Iranian media.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that the crew of a seized Portuguese-flagged ship linked to Israel which included Indians was granted consular access and was expected to be freed, Reuters reported on Saturday (Apr 27) citing Iranian media. The container vessel MSC Aries had a 25-member crew including 17 Indians. One of the Indians, a woman named Ann Tessa Joseph, was freed and she returned home on April 18. Also read | Iran and Pakistan call on UN Security Council to take stern action against Israel MSC Aries was seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus. 'Vessel was seized for violating maritime laws' Iran’s foreign ministry has said the Aries was seized for "violating maritime laws" and that there was no doubt it was linked to Israel. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian told his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel that the “humanitarian issue of the release of the ship's crew is of serious concern to us." Also watch | Iran vs Israel: Will the conflict spiral into nuclear war? Comparing capabilities | WION Decodes × Amirabdollahian said the crew would be turned over to their ambassadors in Tehran. It was not yet known when would the release happen. 'Indian crew aboard Aries in good health' On Thursday, the Indian foreign ministry said that the 16 Indians aboard Aries were in good health, and were in constant touch with their families. "These 16 people, we had asked consular access for, which we got. Our officers went there and met," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "They are in constant touch with their families. Their health is good. And they have no problems of any kind onboard the ship," Jaiswal added. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran says crew of Israel-linked ship which includes Indians will be freed

The German ambassador to India, Dr Philipp Ackermann, has expressed hope for the swift release of Indian nationals who were onboard the Israel-linked Portuguese-flagged commercial vessel MSC Aries, seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said, "We support the Indian call; we feel that India has every right to look after its citizens." Of the 25-member crew of the vessel, 17 are Indian nationals. He termed the Israel-Iran conflict as "very dangerous". In addition to discussing the current crisis, Dr. Ackermann also touched upon the broader relationship between India and Europe.

Full interview transcript:

WION: How do you see the current situation in West Asia?

Dr&nbsp;Philipp Ackermann: You might have seen my government's reaction; they have condemned the attack by Iran on Israeli soil in the strongest terms. Germany is very worried; I think we are facing a very dangerous situation. And my government has been very active to try to de-escalate the situation. So I think the need of the hour is to reduce the tension so that the spiral of violence is not escalated.

WION: Over the weekend, we also saw the Iranians seizing commercial vessels where there are 17 Indians on board as well and India has been calling for early release, what is Germany's stance?

Dr&nbsp;Philipp Ackermann: We support the Indian call; we feel that India has every right to look after its citizens. And I know that my minister, my foreign minister raised the issue when she talked to the Iranian foreign minister during the weekend because she did the same as for EAM Dr&nbsp;S Jaishankar. She called both the Israeli and Iranian Foreign Ministers in order to de-escalate but I know that embassy advice was also an item and she mentioned it in order to release these hostages.

WION: How do you see India Europe, India Germany relationship. Also India goes to election later this week, your assessment as the largest democracy goes to elections

Dr&nbsp;Philipp Ackermann: So elections are a unique opportunity and every diplomat in Delhi is privileged to witness the biggest election exercise in the world. Very excited to see what is happening in the next several weeks, and very excited to see results at the beginning of June. It is a fantastic festival of democracy and I am very happy that it takes place in my tenure. So, India Europe, the sky's the limit and very excited with the new attention Europe gets from the Indian govt. Maybe the culminating point is our negotiation of a free trade agreement between Europe and India and we are pushing for it and we hope in the future we get a favourable result on it.

The German ambassador to India, Dr Philipp Ackermann, has expressed hope for the swift release of Indian nationals who were onboard the Israel-linked Portuguese-flagged commercial vessel MSC Aries, seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

The German ambassador to India, Dr Philipp Ackermann, has expressed hope for the swift release of Indian nationals who were onboard the Israel-linked Portuguese-flagged commercial vessel MSC Aries, seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said, "We support the Indian call; we feel that India has every right to look after its citizens." Of the 25-member crew of the vessel, 17 are Indian nationals. He termed the Israel-Iran conflict as "very dangerous". In addition to discussing the current crisis, Dr. Ackermann also touched upon the broader relationship between India and Europe. Full interview transcript: WION: How do you see the current situation in West Asia? Dr Philipp Ackermann: You might have seen my government's reaction; they have condemned the attack by Iran on Israeli soil in the strongest terms. Germany is very worried; I think we are facing a very dangerous situation. And my government has been very active to try to de-escalate the situation. So I think the need of the hour is to reduce the tension so that the spiral of violence is not escalated. WION: Over the weekend, we also saw the Iranians seizing commercial vessels where there are 17 Indians on board as well and India has been calling for early release, what is Germany's stance? Dr Philipp Ackermann: We support the Indian call; we feel that India has every right to look after its citizens. And I know that my minister, my foreign minister raised the issue when she talked to the Iranian foreign minister during the weekend because she did the same as for EAM Dr S Jaishankar. She called both the Israeli and Iranian Foreign Ministers in order to de-escalate but I know that embassy advice was also an item and she mentioned it in order to release these hostages. WION: How do you see India Europe, India Germany relationship. Also India goes to election later this week, your assessment as the largest democracy goes to elections Dr Philipp Ackermann: So elections are a unique opportunity and every diplomat in Delhi is privileged to witness the biggest election exercise in the world. Very excited to see what is happening in the next several weeks, and very excited to see results at the beginning of June. It is a fantastic festival of democracy and I am very happy that it takes place in my tenure. So, India Europe, the sky's the limit and very excited with the new attention Europe gets from the Indian govt. Maybe the culminating point is our negotiation of a free trade agreement between Europe and India and we are pushing for it and we hope in the future we get a favourable result on it.

MSC Aries incident: German Envoy Ackermann hopes for early release of Indians

India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has spoken to the Iranian Foreign Minister on Sunday. S Jaishankar said that he had taken up the matter of the release of the 17 Indian Crew members. Watch to know more.

MSC aries crew members' release: Indian EAM S Jaishankar holds talks with Iran and Israel

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Iran says crew of Israel-linked ship which includes Indians will be freed

MSC Aries incident: German Envoy Ackermann hopes for early release of Indians

MSC aries crew members' release: Indian EAM S Jaishankar holds talks with Iran and Israel