Editor's Pick | India negotiating release of 17 Indians onboard vessel seized by Iran

Amidst an emerging tense landscape in West Asia, Indian officials informed on Saturday that they were in touch with Iranian authorities after an Israel-affiliated container vessel MSC Aries was seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in the Gulf of Hormuz on Saturday. The 25-member crew onboard the Portuguese-flagged vessel had 17 Indians, including the Master of the ship, as well as four Filipinos, two Pakistanis, one Russian, and one Estonian, as learnt from official sources. The official informed that they were tapping into the diplomatic channels to secure the early release of Indian nationals. The vessel was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to India when the incident occurred. It is owned by London-headquartered Zodiac Maritime, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The latest occurrence in the region, which has been on edge for the last few months, also marks an escalation of the ongoing Red Sea crisis. Since the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Houthi rebels in Yemen have been targeting Israeli-linked commercial shipping on the high seas with ballistic missiles and drones. In fact, on April 12, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a travel advisory seeking Indians do not travel to either Iran or Israel “until further notice”. For citizens presently in the two countries, it advised registering themselves with the Ministry, exercise precautions and “restrict movements to the minimum”. The seizure actions are centred around Tehran’s decision to avenge the April 1 air strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus earlier this month. The strike killed 16 people, including two Iranian generals. Israel has been widely blamed for the attacks without elaborating about the how. On Saturday, it warned that Iran would suffer the “consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further” - as tensions mount about a potential wider conflict six months into its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza strip. The Hindu Profiles IRGC | Guardians of the revolution Kalvakuntla Kavitha | Under the shadow The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz The military junta of Myanmar is currently battling which group of forces in the country? Democracy for Myanmar Ethnic Liberation Forces Myanmar Liberation Forces Ethnic Armed Organisations To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 14 April 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]Open in browser [Mail icon]More newsletters India negotiating release of 17 Indians onboard vessel seized by Iran Amidst an emerging tense landscape in West Asia, Indian officials informed on Saturday that they were in touch with Iranian authorities after an Israel-affiliated container vessel MSC Aries was seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in the Gulf of Hormuz on Saturday. [The 25-member crew onboard the Portuguese-flagged vessel had 17 Indians]( including the Master of the ship, as well as four Filipinos, two Pakistanis, one Russian, and one Estonian, as learnt from official sources. The official informed that they were tapping into the diplomatic channels to secure the early release of Indian nationals. The vessel was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to India when the incident occurred. It is owned by London-headquartered Zodiac Maritime, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The latest occurrence in the region, which has been on edge for the last few months, also marks an escalation of the ongoing Red Sea crisis. Since the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Houthi rebels in Yemen have been targeting Israeli-linked commercial shipping on the high seas with ballistic missiles and drones. In fact, on April 12, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a travel advisory seeking Indians do not travel to either Iran or Israel “until further notice”. For citizens presently in the two countries, it advised registering themselves with the Ministry, exercise precautions and “restrict movements to the minimum”. The seizure actions are centred around Tehran’s decision to avenge the April 1 air strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus earlier this month. The strike killed 16 people, including two Iranian generals. Israel has been widely blamed for the attacks without elaborating about the how. On Saturday, it warned that Iran would suffer the “consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further” - as tensions mount about a potential wider conflict six months into its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza strip. The Hindu Profiles [Arrow][IRGC | Guardians of the revolution]( [Arrow][Kalvakuntla Kavitha | Under the shadow]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz The military junta of Myanmar is currently battling which group of forces in the country? - Democracy for Myanmar - Ethnic Liberation Forces - Myanmar Liberation Forces - Ethnic Armed Organisations To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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