Pakistanis on board an Israeli cargo ship are “freed” by Iran

According to diplomatic sources, the Iranian government on Tuesday let the two Pakistanis who were on an Israeli ship to return home.

The sources claim that after the Foreign Office made efforts, Iran approved the release of the Pakistani prisoners.

Additionally, they shared that Reza Amiri Moghadam, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, had promised the release of both Pakistanis at a meeting at the FO.

The sources stated, “Iran has informed that Pakistani personnel are free to return home,” and that the ship’s captain has the authority to depart anytime his crew permits.

The cargo ship was captured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite force that lost seven soldiers, including two generals, in the Syria strike, on Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz. At least two Pakistanis were among the 25-person crew on board.

The event occurred as a result of a request for assistance from the Pakistani government made by the family of one of the Pakistani citizens on board the cargo ship with ties to Israel.

On the ship taken by Iran’s soldiers was Muhammad Adnan Aziz, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Portugal-flagged MSC Aries, along with another Pakistani.

His relatives who reside in London and who have family in Karachi and Azad Kashmir have expressed their concerns to the media.

Following a lethal Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy in Syria that claimed the life of top IRGC commander Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Iran seized the vessel amid escalating tensions in the area.

What transpired with the ship headed for India?

The ship, which was later identified as the MSC Aries flying the Portuguese flag, had set off from a port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on its way to India.

It is connected to Zodiac Maritime, a company located in London that is a division of the Zodiac Group, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer and his family.

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

Soldiers were seen descending by rope from a helicopter in footage taken from the ship’s deck.

The helicopter looked to be an IRGC naval force’s Mil Mi-17, a design from the Soviet Union.

All vessel operations were under the control of MSC, an Italian-Swiss shipping company, according to a statement released by Zodiac Maritime.

The MSC stated in a statement that it is “working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their wellbeing, and safe return of the vessel” in addition to confirming that there were 25 crew members on board the ship.

A vessel was reportedly taken by “regional authorities” 50 nautical miles (92 km) northeast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, in a waterway that is essential to global trade, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).