Turkmen Border Guards Kill Two Iranian Fishermen with Gunfire

Iranian officials report that Turkmen border guards shot and killed two Iranian fishermen who were fishing within the maritime borders of the two countries. Elyas Heyvachi, the governor of Bandar Turkman, announced this news to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Wednesday evening, stating that the bodies of the fishermen and two others who survived are in the custody of Turkmenistan. According to him, these fishermen, all from Bandar Turkman, were fishing in the maritime border area despite previous warnings issued to all local fishermen. This Iranian official described the actions of the Turkmen border guards as 'inappropriate' and explained that one fisherman was killed instantly and another died due to severe injuries. IRNA reports that news of the shooting by Turkmen border officials and the deaths of the two fishermen has spread widely in Golestan province, especially through Telegram channels. The report states that the shooting incidents by Turkmen border guards against fishermen from Bandar Turkman have a history, with several fishermen in recent years having been shot while fishing in the maritime border area. The report suggests that 'rough seas, GPS device failures, and damaged fishing boats, along with disregard for maritime warnings, are among the reasons for the possible entry of Iranian fishermen into Turkmenistan's maritime borders in the Caspian Sea.' Numerous reports have emerged regarding confrontations between border guards of neighboring countries and Iranian fishermen in both northern and southern waters of Iran. This summer, an Iranian fisherman was killed by Saudi border guards in the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia has also detained several Iranian fishermen and recently released nine of them after two years. In this context, the head of the Iranian Fishermen's Union stated that the solution to the arrests of Iranian fishermen in neighboring waters is the 'formation of a fishermen's militia,' which appears to be more retaliatory. According to him, under this plan, 'Iranian fishermen will act as border guards in the region and will prevent foreign fishing vessels from entering and plundering Iran's aquatic resources.'