Amir-Abdollahian Promises Portuguese Foreign Minister to Free Crew of 'MSC Aries' Ship

Hosseyn Amir-Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, promised on Saturday, April 27, during a phone conversation with his Portuguese counterpart, to free the crew of the Portuguese ship detained by the Iranian government. The website of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as saying, "The humanitarian issue of releasing the crew of the ship is of serious concern to us, and we have informed their ambassadors in Tehran about consular access, their release, and handover." So far, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued any news on this matter. Previously, according to the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Director-General of Foreign Policy of this ministry summoned the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Lisbon on April 17, demanding the immediate release of a commercial ship by the Islamic Republic. He requested that the crew of the ship receive adequate medical services until their release and noted that the Islamic Republic's explanations regarding the ship's detention were contradictory. Additionally, it was reported that this official of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Lisbon would await further actions from the Islamic Republic and would base its future actions on this. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the 'MSC Aries' ship on April 14 of this year and detained its 25 crew members. This action by the IRGC followed an attack attributed to Israel on the Islamic Republic's consulate in Damascus and ongoing threats from Iranian government officials regarding "revenge." In that attack, several senior commanders of the Quds Force of the IRGC were killed. Furthermore, Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened in recent years that the Iranian government is capable of blocking the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously claimed that the 'MSC Aries' violated maritime laws. The 'MSC' company has leased the 'Aries' from the shipping company 'Gortal,' which is affiliated with the maritime company 'Zodiac,' part of which is owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Islamic Republic, demanding the release of its citizen. Portugal protested against the attack on Israel and the detention of the commercial ship; the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Lisbon was summoned. The British Defense Minister stated that Iran must immediately cease its destabilizing behavior. The seizure of a commercial ship by the IRGC has led Israel to call for sanctions against Iran from the European Union and the free world.