This Thursday, Iranian authorities released seven of the 25 crew members from the MSC Aries, the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship seized by Iran last April. The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the release of the seven workers.
Five of the seven are from India, one is from the Philippines and the other is from Estonia. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the ship and its crew on April 13 when agents boarded the boat. The MSC Aries was sailing in international waters around the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
Although the Portuguese government celebrated the news, it continued to demand the release of all the crew members. Iran, on the other hand, argued that the MSC Aries and its affiliated company have ties to Israel, which they claim was the reason for seizing the ship. Portugal summoned Iran's ambassador on April 16 to officially demand the ship and its crew be released. On April 27, Iran announced that it was considering releasing additional crew members.
Other ships have also faced confrontations with Iranian authorities in the Persian Gulf. Iran has a history of regularly harassing Western-flagged ships or companies in waters under its influence, even predating the conflict in Gaza. Similar to the Houthis, Iran's primary target is ships it accuses of having ties to Israel.
