Iran released two Pakistanis captured from Israeli ship

According to media reports, Iran released two Pakistanis captured from an Israeli ship amid rising Middle East tensions. Two Pakistanis were on the Israeli ship when Iran took over the ship and held them hostage.

However, the Foreign Office (FO) reportedly took action to release the Pakistanis at the request of the hostages’ relatives. Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam promised Pakistan the release of the Pakistani nationals during a meeting at the FO in Islamabad.

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Iran has informed that they released two Pakistanis who are free to return home and that the ship’s captain has the authority to sail wherever he and his crew decide.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) captured an Israeli cargo ship “Portugal-flagged MSC Aries” near the Strait of Hormuz. There were at least two Pakistanis among the 25-person crew on board on April 14, 2024. It came after the Iranian elite force lost seven soldiers, including two generals, in the Syria strike.

On the captured ship was Muhammad Adnan Aziz. Muhammad Adnan was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Portugal-flagged MSC Aries, along with another Pakistani. His relatives who reside in London and have family in Karachi and Azad Kashmir have expressed their concerns about detained Pakistanis to the media.

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A fatal Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria claimed the life of senior IRGC commander Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Following this, Iran seized the vessel amid escalating tensions in the region.

The ship later identified as the MSC Aries flew the Portuguese flag. It had set out from a port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) en route to India. It has a connection with Zodiac Maritime, a company based in London that is a division of the Zodiac Group. Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer and his family owned the Zodiac group.

According to White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, the ship’s crew resisted the vessel’s capture. The cargo ship included citizens from Estonia, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, and Russia.