Egypt said on Wednesday that it is working on securing the release of four citizens who were detained by Iran last month after Tehran seized a foreign tanker on charges of carrying "smuggled fuel" in the Gulf.
In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said four Egyptian crew members were currently on board the Reem alKhaleej vessel at Iran's Bandar Abbas port © Mena Today
Egypt said on Wednesday that it is working on securing the release of four citizens who were detained by Iran last month after Tehran seized a foreign tanker on charges of carrying "smuggled fuel" in the Gulf.
In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said four Egyptian crew members were currently on board the Reem alKhaleej vessel at Iran's Bandar Abbas port.
Iran said last month that it had seized a foreign oil tanker carrying 4 million litres of smuggled fuel near the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf. It did not name the vessel or disclose its nationality, but said that 16 foreign crew members had been detained on criminal charges.
Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and a sharp fall in the value of its national currency, has been seeking to curb widespread fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to Gulf states.
Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Yomna Ehab
Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday urged the U.S. to resolve its disputes with Iran "one by one" instead of through a sweeping deal, saying this would avoid humiliating Iranian officials, and added that Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iraq against picking Nouri al-Maliki as its prime minister, saying the United States would no longer help the Middle Eastern country.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Riyadh will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Tehran, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.