The Iranian government has assured the safety of the 18 Filipino seafarers who are currently in their custody after the seizure of a US oil tanker. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that the assurance was given by the Iranian Ambassador to the Philippines, Yousef Esmaeilzadeh. The DFA’s top priority now is for Philippine representatives to visit the Filipino seafarers. The oil tanker, which was manned by 19 crew members, including 18 Filipinos and one Greek national, was en route to Turkey when the incident happened.
The US condemned the seizure, but Iran maintains that it was a lawful undertaking sanctioned by a court order. The DFA assured that the seafarers are safe and not hostages, and that the Iranian government has no plans of hurting them. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Middle East Affairs Mardomel Melicor is confident that the “cordial relations” between the Philippines and Iran will facilitate the speedy release of the seafarers. There are over 1,100 Filipinos in Iran who are mostly married to Iranian nationals.
The Iranian government has assured the safety of the 18 Filipino seafarers who are currently in their custody after the seizure of a US oil tanker. The DFA’s top priority now is for Philippine representatives to visit the Filipino seafarers. The US condemned the seizure, but Iran maintains that it was a lawful undertaking sanctioned by a court order. The DFA assured that the seafarers are safe and not hostages, and that the Iranian government has no plans of hurting them. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Middle East Affairs Mardomel Melicor is confident that the “cordial relations” between the Philippines and Iran will facilitate the speedy release of the seafarers.
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