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Iranian sailors held in Tanzania back home after 4 years

Monday, 16 November 2020 9:02 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 16 November 2020 9:28 AM ]

This picture provided on November 16, 2020 shows Iranian sailors standing alongside state officials upon return to the southern port city of Chabahar after four years of detention for trespassing in Tanzania.

Eight Iranian sailors, held in Tanzania for four years on trespassing charges, have now returned home owing to successful diplomatic efforts by Iranian authorities.

The sailors arrived in Chabahar on Monday after being freed by Tanzania last week, Hamid-Reza Tousi, head of Foreign Ministry’s representative office at the southern Iranian port city, said.

The official said their release was owed to the ministry, the Iranian embassy in the African nation’s largest city of Dar es Salaam, and his office’s engagement in diplomatic endeavors and negotiations with Tanzanian authorities.

Iran’s efforts, he added, featured multiple meetings between the Iranian ambassador and Tanzania’s president, attorney general, and other legal authorities.

Tanzania still holds as many as 22 Iranian fishermen in custody, Tousi noted.

He advised against potential criminal behavior, including violation of other countries’ territorial waters, that could warrant a confrontation. The official also urged relevant Iranian bodies to properly educate and inform Iranian seafarers to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Islamic Republic’s own sovereign waters are subject to repeated acts of trespassing by foreign vessels.

Iran arrests 21 trespassing fishermen in Persian Gulf

Iran detains 21 crew members of three fishing boats in the Persian Gulf for straying into its territorial waters and fishing rare species.

Iran, however, mostly refrains from taking immediate drastic measures against trespassers, preferring instead to engage in negotiations with their respective countries to resolve matters.

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