(Bloomberg) -- Iran will release the personnel of a Portuguese-flagged container ship that it seized this month after discussions between officials from the two countries, Fars news agency reported, citing the Iranian foreign minister.
Tehran has “informed the ambassadors of the ship's crew of their consular access, release and delivery,” Fars quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying on Saturday. The minister said the decision follows a phone call between him and his Portuguese counterpart. The report did not provide further details.
The MSC Aries, whose ownership is tied to an Israeli billionaire, was captured near the Strait of Hormuz and taken to Iranian waters on April 13, just hours before Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. The ship's seizure was described by Tehran as a retaliatory measure against the Jewish state, after a suspected Israeli attack on Iran's diplomatic compound in Syria that killed several Iranian military officers on April 1.
The ship's 25-member crew includes sailors from India and Russia. Last week, Iran announced the release of a female staff member, in what they called a gesture of respect for Islamic principles.
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