Death of a Fisherman from Bushehr and Arrest of Eight Iranians by UAE Coast Guard

According to reports, a fisherman from Bushehr was killed and two others injured due to gunfire from the United Arab Emirates Coast Guard at an Iranian vessel. The two injured, along with six crew members of the vessel, were arrested by the UAE Coast Guard. Ammar Mahini, the owner of the vessel, stated in an interview with ILNA news agency on Saturday, September 8, that around 4 PM last Wednesday, while the crew was having lunch, they were shot at from an 'unflagged' vessel. Mr. Mahini mentioned that at 8 AM on Thursday, one of the crew members called him to inform that Yasin Lotfi Pour, one of the occupants of the vessel, had been killed due to the gunfire, and two other crew members named Haidar Mahini and Hassan Albusin were injured. According to the report, the crew of the vessel stated that Emirati officers took the body of the deceased, the two injured, and the six other crew members with a speedboat. Mr. Mahini said that the vessel was in the 'Mataf' area near Qatar, which is not part of UAE waters. He noted that the transfer of the crew members to the UAE took 25 hours and speculated that the UAE Coast Guard may have attacked the vessel in Iranian waters. Mr. Mahini added, 'I asked the crew to keep the GPS so that legal follow-up regarding the location of the incident, whether in Iranian waters or the border of the neighboring country, would be possible.' The crossing of fishing vessels in border waters leading to the seizure of these vessels and the arrest of their occupants has been frequently reported in Iranian media and other Gulf countries in recent years. Officials from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar have also periodically reported on the detention of Iranian vessels and their occupants. The deteriorating relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and its allies have led to a broader reflection of these incidents. Meanwhile, the official Saudi news agency reported on Tuesday, July 9, that the country has officially complained to the United Nations against the Islamic Republic 'for violating its maritime boundaries.' In August of this year, three Iranian fishermen who were arrested by the Saudi Coast Guard in June of the previous year were released and returned to Iran. Saudi Arabia had introduced these individuals as 'members of the Revolutionary Guards,' but Iranian officials denied this claim. Last year, two Saudi fishing vessels with Indian crew members were seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy for entering Iranian waters, and no recent reports have been published regarding their release or continued detention.