Five of the Indian sailors on board an Israeli-linked vessel seized by Tehran have been released and have departed from Iran. Molly Gambhir tells you more.

Gravitas | 5 of the Indian sailors on board Israeli-linked vessel seized by Tehran released

Iran on Thursday (May 9) released five Indian sailors on board an Israeli-linked vessel which Tehran had seized on April 13. The ship, MSC Aries, was seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps near the Strait of Hormuz. Watch to know more.

Iran releases 5 out of 17 Indian crew members aboard seized MSC Aries

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

Watch the top headlines of the hour: - Iran to release MSC Aries crew - IDF kills two Palestinians in West Bank - Israel's Rafah onslaught inevitable? - Tornado horrors in US midwest - Russia pounds Ukraine, alert sounded

Iran to release MSC Aries crew | Russia pounds Ukraine, alert resounded

The Iran ambassador to India Iraj Elahi has said that the Indian nationals onboard MSC Aries are free to go. The Israel-linked Portuguese flag was seized by Iran over the weekend and had 17 Indian crew members on board. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, the ambassador said, "From the Iranian side, they are free and not detained. Yesterday, the lady was handed over to consulate. Consulate got access to other crew." With the concerted efforts of the Indian Mission in Tehran and the Iranian Government, Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala, who was among the Indian crew members of container vessel MSC Aries, has landed safely at the Cochin International Airport today afternoon.

Indians onboard MSC Aries free to go, Iran Ambassador Iraj Elahi speaks to WION

The German ambassador to India, Dr. Philipp Ackermann, has expressed hope for the swift release of Indian nationals who were onboard Israel Linked Portuguese flagged commercial vessel MSC Aries, which was 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.

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

Tehran has informed Islamabad that the Pakistani crew on board the MSC Aries are free to leave and head back home whenever they want. However it remains the prerogative of the captain of the ship as to whenever he allows his crew to disembark and leave the ship, sources say. The Israel-linked Portuguese-flagged commercial vessel MSC Aries was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. Watch in for more details!

MSC Aries Incident: Pakistan crew free to leave, says Tehran

After Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar dialed his Iranian counterpart, Tehran has promised to allow Indian government officials to meet the 17 Indian crew members onboard the ship that was seized by the country on Saturday. Watch this video to find out more.

Gravitas | Jaishankar Dials Iran to Secure Release of Indian Crew Members on Seized Cargo Ship

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.

Iran, in a latest statement, says that it will allow meeting of the Indian government representatives and the 17 Indian crew members aboard MSC Aries.

Iran attacks Israel: India EAM Jaishankar shares concerns with Iran & Israel counterparts

MSC Aries: Iran to allow 17 indian crew members to meet govt officials after being in Iran's custody

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Gravitas | 5 of the Indian sailors on board Israeli-linked vessel seized by Tehran released

Iran releases 5 out of 17 Indian crew members aboard seized MSC Aries

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

Iran to release MSC Aries crew | Russia pounds Ukraine, alert resounded

Indians onboard MSC Aries free to go, Iran Ambassador Iraj Elahi speaks to WION

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

MSC Aries Incident: Pakistan crew free to leave, says Tehran

Gravitas | Jaishankar Dials Iran to Secure Release of Indian Crew Members on Seized Cargo Ship

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

Iran attacks Israel: India EAM Jaishankar shares concerns with Iran & Israel counterparts

MSC Aries: Iran to allow 17 indian crew members to meet govt officials after being in Iran's custody