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India presses Iran for consular access to 16 crew of seized oil tanker
The Valiant Roar, a tanker operated by Dubai-based Glory International FZ-LLC, was boarded and seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on December 8.
New Delhi: New Delhi has pressed Iranian authorities to grant consular access to 16 Indian crew members of an oil tanker that was seized last month and to speedily complete judicial proceedings against them, the Indian embassy in Tehran said on Saturday.
The Valiant Roar, a tanker operated by Dubai-based Glory International FZ-LLC, was boarded and seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on December 8. The vessel’s crew of 16 Indians, a Bangladeshi and a Sri Lankan was accused of smuggling fuel.
The Indian embassy in Tehran said in a statement that it was informed by Iranian authorities about the detention of the vessel in mid-December. The Indian consulate in Bandar Abbas wrote to the Iranian government on December 14 seeking consular access to the Indian crew members.
“The request for consular access has been repeated numerous times since then, both by diplomatic correspondence and in-person meetings in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, including at the level of the Ambassador,” the statement said.
The Indian side also requested Iranian authorities to allow the crew members to communicate with their families in India.
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“The matter is expected to be subject to judicial process in Iran. However, the mission and the consulate continue to press the Iranian authorities to grant early consular access to the crew, and to ensure expeditious completion of the judicial proceedings,” the statement said.
The Indian consulate in Bandar Abbas is in touch with the United Arab Emirates-based owner of the vessel and its Iran-based agents to provide food, water and fuel to the ship, and to arrange legal representation for the crew in Iranian courts.
After the Indian embassy was informed of depleting food and water stocks on the vessel, it intervened with the Iranian Navy to arrange emergency supplies earlier this month.
The Indian consulate in Dubai has also pressed the vessel’s owner to ensure legal representation and a regular supply of provisions to the ship, the statement said.
The statement from the mission was issued after relatives of the Indian crew members appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter.
