Interior Ministry: We will act based on reciprocal behavior regarding the Saudi vessel

The Director General of Border Affairs at Iran's Ministry of Interior announced that the four sailors detained on a vessel belonging to Saudi Arabia are Indian, and decisions regarding them will be made based on Saudi Arabia's 'reciprocal behavior' with detained Iranian sailors. According to ISNA news agency, Majid Aghababayi stated on Saturday, July 8, that the four detained sailors are Indian. He announced that the case is under review and decisions will be made according to Iranian laws. He also stated, 'Of course, we will act based on reciprocal behavior, meaning any actions that Saudi Arabia has taken against Iranian fishermen, we will respond in kind.' This official emphasized that the accidental entry of fishermen into the waters of other countries is neither a security nor a political issue, expressing hope that Saudi Arabia will release the Iranian fishermen. He also mentioned that due to the severance of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Ministry cannot directly follow up on the status of the detained sailors in that country, and this issue will be pursued 'through unofficial channels and international forums.' Iranian media reported on Friday that a Saudi fishing vessel that 'entered Iranian waters' was seized by the forces of the second naval zone of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Bushehr province. The seizure of this fishing vessel comes after Iranian officials stated that Saudi border guard forces shot at three Iranian fishing boats on June 16, resulting in the death of one fisherman and the arrest of three others by Saudi forces. However, the Saudi Ministry of Security described the detainees as members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claiming they were approaching Saudi oil platforms in the Gulf on an armed boat. Iran, however, rejected this accusation. Following these reports, the Riyadh newspaper reported on Sunday, July 25, that 'Saudi security agents arrested three more Iranians three days before the 'terrorist operation at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.' Aladdin Boroujerdi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, described this report as 'clumsy news-making' and 'media mischief.' Additionally, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman for this commission, warned that 'Iran could arrest dozens of Saudi citizens in retaliation for the arrests of Iranians in that country.' Meanwhile, on Thursday, July 29, Saudi Arabia released five fishermen from Bushehr and Genaveh who had been detained by the country's naval guard last year. The reciprocal arrests of citizens from both countries occur amid severely strained relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which have escalated after Donald Trump's visit to Riyadh. In this context, several Iranian officials have accused Saudi Arabia of being involved in the attack on the Iranian Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini without providing evidence. Riyadh officials have denied these accusations.