Iran Denies Arrest of 3 Revolutionary Guards Members by Saudi Arabia

On Monday, June 19, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Information announced that it had arrested three members of the Revolutionary Guards who had approached the country's Marjan oil platforms on a boat carrying weapons. However, an Iranian Interior Ministry official denied this claim. According to Reuters, the Saudi Ministry of Information noted that two other boats had escaped. The Saudi authorities are reportedly interrogating the three Revolutionary Guards members. Meanwhile, Majid Aghababayi, the Director General of Border Affairs at the Interior Ministry, referred to what he called 'Saudi Arabia's claim of arresting three Iranian military personnel' and stated, 'This matter pertains to two Iranian fishing boats.' Earlier, some news sources in Iran reported that on the evening of Friday, June 16, two Iranian fishing boats were fired upon by Saudi border guards, resulting in the death of one of their crew members. According to these sources, the fate of the other boat is unknown, and its crew may have been arrested by Saudi border forces. Aghababayi emphasized that 'the fishermen had no military equipment' and added, 'Saudi Arabia's shooting at the two Iranian fishing boats caused the death of one fisherman.' He stated, 'Saudi Arabia's claim about the arrest of Iranian military personnel is not true, as those who encountered its forces were simple fishermen whose boat was also a fishing vessel.' The Director General of Border Affairs at the Interior Ministry had said on Saturday, June 17, that the two Iranian fishing boats had strayed from their course due to sea waves and were targeted by Saudi border guards. He reported that in this incident, one fisherman was killed by a bullet to his back. Aghababayi condemned the actions of the Saudi border guards as contrary to humanitarian principles and added that even assuming the Iranian boats entered Saudi territory due to sea waves, they were not permitted to shoot at the Iranian boats. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also stated on Saturday that the issue of 'the killing of a Bushehr fisherman by Saudi border guards' is under investigation by the responsible authorities. Qasemi indicated that after the results of these investigations are determined, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will pursue this matter 'seriously.' Saudi Arabia had previously issued a statement claiming to have seized a weapons-laden boat 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 country's naval forces noticed three small boats rapidly approaching the Marjan oil field platforms. According to this statement, these boats were met with warning shots from the Saudi navy. The Saudi military stated that one of the boats was seized while the other two fled. The Saudi military did not specify a particular country, stating that there was weaponry on the seized boat. Although there have been past incidents of Iranian fishermen entering the waters of Gulf countries and being arrested, shooting at fishermen and their deaths have been unprecedented in recent years. Furthermore, this incident occurs amid heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which have escalated following U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Riyadh. In this context, several officials from the Islamic Republic, without providing evidence, have accused Saudi Arabia of being involved in attacks on the Iranian parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini, referencing previous statements by the Saudi defense minister. These accusations came at a time when the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for those attacks, while Saudi officials denied any involvement.