New Delhi: Iran has released 10 Indian sailors who had been detained since July 2025 after their oil tanker was intercepted near Jask Port, Indian authorities confirmed, marking the end of a months-long diplomatic effort by New Delhi.
The sailors were crew members aboard the MV Harbour Phoenix, a Palau-flagged oil products tanker that was intercepted by Iranian authorities near the strategic Strait of Hormuz last year. According to India’s Directorate General of Shipping, the seafarers had been “detained, arrested and imprisoned” following the interception.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Shipping said the crew members had now been “released and reunited safely,” adding that arrangements were being coordinated for their earliest return to India.
Indian officials credited sustained diplomatic engagement involving the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and the Indian Embassy in Tehran for securing the sailors’ release.
Authorities did not publicly disclose the precise charges against the crew or details surrounding the vessel’s interception. Maritime reports, however, indicated that Iranian authorities had seized the tanker as part of operations linked to alleged fuel-smuggling investigations in the region.
The case had drawn concern among the sailors’ families and India’s maritime community, particularly amid heightened tensions and security concerns in waters around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes.
