Portugal’s foreign ministry confirmed Iran has released seven crew members of the Portuguese-flagged, Israeli-linked ship MSC Aries that its armed forces seized on April 13.
Five Indians, a Filipino and an Estonian were released after another crew member was earlier freed, it said in a statement. Seventeen members still remain on board. Iran earlier said all crew members are free to leave if the captain also agreed to depart.
The Indian embassy in Tehran confirmed in a post on X that the Indian crew members departed Iran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confiscated the vessel after the Israeli military bombed Tehran’s consulate in Syria, killing seven members of the elite force, including two generals.
At midnight on the same day the ship was seized, Iran started its Operation True Promise, launching more than 330 missiles and drones at Israel, most of which were intercepted by Israel and a coalition of allies, including the United States.
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