London: Among the 18 Indians, 3 are reported to be Keralites in the British oil tanker seized by Iran.
Iran said on Friday it seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a fresh escalation in the strategic waterway that has become a flashpoint in tensions between Tehran and the West. The tanker Stena Impero was taken to an Iranian port because it was not complying with “international maritime laws and regulations,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared.
“Media reports have indicated that the crew of the British tanker seized by Iran includes 4 Malayalis. Following this, CM Pinarayi Vijayan has contacted the Union Government. He has also sent a message to Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs GoI,” CMO Kerala wrote on Twitter.
Media reports have indicated that the crew of the British tanker seized by Iran includes 4 Malayalis. Following this, CM Pinarayi Vijayan has contacted the Union Government. He has also sent a message to Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs GoI.
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) July 21, 2019
Tensions in the region have been growing since the Trump administration withdrew a year ago from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. After the withdrawal, the U.S. imposed harsh sanctions, including on Tehran’s oil trade, that has sent the Iranian economy into a tailspin.
