Fishing Activities in Bushehr Province Halted

Following the killing of an Iranian fisherman in a clash with Saudi border guards, fishing activities in Bushehr Province have been halted. The ILNA news agency reported this on Tuesday, June 19, citing local sources in Bushehr. According to a Bushehr fisherman, this is the first time that fishing vessels have been stopped for reasons other than 'adverse weather conditions and rough seas.' The fisherman stated, 'It is unclear how long this new situation will last,' and currently, fishing vessels 'do not operate even in coastal waters.' This restriction was imposed after an Iranian fisherman was killed due to gunfire from Saudi border guards. The Saudi border patrol claimed the clash was due to the 'crossing' of two Iranian fishing boats into the designated maritime border. Meanwhile, the Director General of Border Affairs at Iran's Ministry of Interior told the Tasnim news agency that the reason for the two boats deviating from their course was 'sea waves.' Majid Aghababayi deemed the shooting by Saudi border guards at Iranian fishing boats as 'not in accordance with humanitarian and maritime principles,' adding, 'Even assuming that the Iranian boats entered Saudi waters due to sea waves, they were not allowed to shoot at the Iranian boats.' One day after the incident, ILNA quoted a Bushehr fisherman stating that this action by Saudi officials was 'unprecedented.' He noted that 'Iranian and Saudi fishermen have been fishing in these waters for years, and we have never seen or heard of an incident like shooting at several fishing boats, as the designated maritime borders are located along the migratory routes of fish.' The Fars news agency also quoted the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Bushehr, stating that the actions of the Saudi border guards were 'against customs, international regulations, and the good neighborliness of the two countries.' Ali Hassanpour mentioned that 'previously, we have witnessed the unintentional or involuntary presence of Saudi fishing vessels in Iranian waters, but shooting at these vessels and their fishermen has never happened.' He added that considering the 'possibility of the arrest of other Iranian boat occupants' by Saudi Arabia, 'the matter has been reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative in Bushehr.' According to this judicial official, a case has also been opened in the third branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Bushehr regarding this issue. Two Iranian fishermen, identified as father and son, had left the Jafreh dock in Bushehr on the evening of June 26 for fishing and encountered a problem with their boat's engine near the Forouzan oil wells (belonging to Iran). According to the Bushehr prosecutor, after the boat stopped, the current carried the fishermen towards Saudi waters, and after resolving the issue and while returning towards the Forouzan platform, close to midnight, one of the fishermen was killed by gunfire from Saudi border guard personnel who were pursuing two other boats. Saudi Arabia also announced today that it had seized a boat carrying weapons near its oil-rich areas in the Persian Gulf. According to a statement from the Saudi military, on Friday around 8:30 PM local time, the Saudi navy noticed three small boats rapidly approaching the Marjan oil field platforms. The Saudi military announced that one of the boats was seized while the other two fled. In this context, Iran denied the arrest of three members of the Revolutionary Guards by Saudi Arabia.