Detention of Seven Sailors Following the Seizure of a Fishing Vessel Belonging to a Gulf Country

The commander of the Coast Guard on Kish Island announced the seizure of a fishing vessel belonging to one of the Gulf countries and the detention of seven of its sailors. He stated that since the beginning of this year, seven vessels from these countries have been seized and 50 of their sailors have been detained. According to Rahim Jahangir, on Saturday, September 23, a vessel from one of the Gulf countries that had entered Iranian waters by 10 miles was seized, and seven of its sailors were arrested. Jahangir mentioned that the sailors had caught 45 pieces of a rare species of shark known as the black-winged shark, with a fine of 30 million tomans for each piece caught. Mohammad Abbasi, the prosecutor of Kish, also announced that the case of this vessel will be sent to the criminal court in the coming days with an indictment. These two officials did not disclose which Gulf country the vessel belonged to. The detention of seven vessels and the arrest of 50 sailors is part of a broader context where southern Iran has extensive maritime borders with some Arab countries, and reports of fishermen being detained in these waters are published annually. For instance, in January 2017, it was reported that 12 fishing vessels were seized and their occupants detained in the first nine months of that year. At that time, the commander of the Coast Guard in Kish had reported that three fishing vessels belonging to one of the Arab countries in the Gulf were seized due to 'unauthorized entry' into Iranian waters and the catching of a rare type of shark. In recent years, due to increasing tensions between Iran and some Gulf countries, such reports have received more attention. Meanwhile, the commander of the Coast Guard on Kish Island reported that since the beginning of this year, seven vessels belonging to Gulf countries have been seized in the waters around Kish Island, and more than 50 of their sailors have been detained. Jahangir did not provide details about the status of the detainees or whether they would be released or remain detained. He also did not specify which Gulf countries the vessels belonged to. In July of this year, Iranian officials reported the seizure of two vessels belonging to Saudi Arabia and the detention of their occupants in two separate incidents. In both incidents, the detainees were identified as Indian nationals, and Majid Aghababaei, the director general of border affairs at the Ministry of Interior, stated that decisions regarding them would be made based on 'reciprocal behavior' by Saudi Arabia towards detained Iranian sailors. This statement referred to the seizure of 'three Iranian fishing boats' by the Saudi border guard in late June, during which 'one Iranian fisherman' was killed and 'three other fishermen' were detained. However, the Saudi Ministry of Security provided a different account of this event, stating that the detainees were 'members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' and were approaching the oil platforms belonging to Saudi Arabia in the Gulf aboard 'a boat carrying weapons,' a claim that Iranian officials denied. Additionally, Saudi Arabia released five fishermen from Bushehr and Genaveh who had been detained by the Saudi naval guard last year. In this context, the case of the detained crew of the Saudi vessel has been sent to court, and Iran has seized another Saudi fishing vessel. The Ministry of Interior stated that actions regarding the Saudi vessel would be based on reciprocal behavior. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also seized a Saudi fishing vessel, and fishing activities in Bushehr province have been 'halted.' Two Emirati fishing vessels were seized, and their crews were detained in Kish. Furthermore, 21 fishermen from Arab countries were arrested for 'unauthorized' entry into Iranian waters.