Iran's Reaction to News of 'Death of Bushehr Fisherman in Saudi Border Guard Shooting'

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that the 'death of a Bushehr fisherman in the shooting by Saudi border guards' is under investigation, and an official from the Ministry of Interior stated that even if Iranian boats enter Saudi waters, the border forces of that country 'were not authorized to shoot at them.' According to ISNA news agency, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, stated on Saturday, June 17, that the issue of 'the death of a Bushehr fisherman in the shooting by Saudi border guards' is being investigated by the responsible authorities. Mr. Qasemi said that after the results of these investigations are determined, the Foreign Ministry will pursue the matter 'seriously.' A few hours before this news, Majid Aghababayi, the director general of border affairs at the Ministry of Interior, announced that two Iranian fishing boats had drifted off course due to sea waves, and Saudi border guards shot at them, resulting in the death of one fisherman from a gunshot wound to the back. He emphasized that this action by the Saudi border guards 'was not in accordance with humanitarian principles, and even assuming that the Iranian boats entered Saudi borders due to sea waves, they were not authorized to shoot at Iranian boats.' This official from the Ministry of Interior also announced that the ministry is investigating whether these Iranian boats had entered Saudi waters or not. He added, 'There is no information about the fate of one of the boats, and this matter is being pursued, and due to the lack of an embassy in Saudi Arabia, we are facing difficulties in this regard.' Some news sources in Iran reported that on Friday evening, two Iranian fishing boats were shot at by Saudi border guards. According to these reports, one Bushehr fisherman was killed, and his son, who was another occupant of one of the boats, survived and managed to bring the boat and his father's body to the 'Jafreh' fishing dock in Bushehr. These news sources stated that there is no information about the fate of the other boat, and its occupants may have been arrested by Saudi border forces. Although there has been a history of Iranian fishermen entering the waters of Gulf countries and being arrested in past years, shooting at fishermen and their deaths have been unprecedented in recent years. On the other hand, this incident occurred while relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are severely strained, and following Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, verbal clashes between the two countries have increased. In this context, several officials of the Islamic Republic, without providing evidence or documentation, have accused Saudi Arabia of being involved in the attack on the Iranian parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini, merely referencing previous statements made by the Saudi defense minister. Saudi officials have denied these accusations. Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia, stated in an interview with MBC on Tuesday, April 30, that Iran is seeking to dominate Muslim countries and therefore there is no possibility of negotiating with Tehran. He emphasized that Riyadh will not wait for war to come to Saudi Arabia and will instead strive to bring the battle to Iran.