NEW DELHI: In a clear tit-for-tat, suggesting worsening of the diplomatic standoff between the two countries, Iran summoned Indian ambassador DP Shrivastava in Tehran on Wednesday and protested detention of an Iranian cargo vessel for "unknown reasons'' by Indian authorities.
The envoy was called in by the Iranian foreign ministry within 24 hours of India registering a strong protest with the Iranian envoy here for the "illegal detention'' of an oil tanker, Desh Shanti that was carrying Iraqi crude when it was boarded by Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in international waters.
The summoning of the Indian ambassador has largely confirmed New Delhi's fears that Iran's allegations about Desh Shanti polluting Iranian waters may be a mere smokescreen for illegally taking possession of the vessel. Despite Tehran saying Indian ship was detained for purely technical reasons, India continues to maintain that there was no justification for IRGC to detain the tanker and take it to Bandar Abbas.
According to reports in the Iranian media on Thursday, an Iranian merchant vessel, Diyanat, was detained by Indian authorities around 18 months ago and it has remained stationed at Mundra port in Gulf of Kutch. Iran's deputy foreign minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi is reported to have demanded immediate release of the vessel and also asked the Indian envoy to ensure that its crew members are not subjected to any "mistreatment".
Indian authorities, however, countered this saying that Iranian ship had remained at Mundra because it had fallen foul of international admirality and maritime laws. The ship owners are said to be locked in a dispute with a firm based in a south-east Asian country and needs to pay a certain amount of money to the company before it is released. "This has hardly got anything to do with India and so no parallel can be drawn between the two cases,'' said a source, adding that Indian authorities have also allowed replacement of Diyanat crew several times since the ship docked at Mundra.
The fact that Desh Shanti was carrying 140,000 tonnes of Iraqi crude on its way to India when it was captured by IRGC has caused speculation about Iran's motives. India's crude import from Iraq has gone up steadily, and it now accounts for over 12% of India's total oil imports. On the contrary, imports from Iran went down to a little over 7% from over 10% during last fiscal.
All 32 crew members of Desh Shanti have also had to remain at Bandar Abbas. Despite India sending officials from here to convince Iranian authorities, Tehran continues to insist that the Indian ship discharged its oily ballast into Iranian waters and that it was detained only after an alert was issued by Bahrain-based Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre.
Now, Iran summons Indian envoy in diplomatic tit-for-tat - The Times of India
It looks the relationship between Iran and India is deteriorating.
The envoy was called in by the Iranian foreign ministry within 24 hours of India registering a strong protest with the Iranian envoy here for the "illegal detention'' of an oil tanker, Desh Shanti that was carrying Iraqi crude when it was boarded by Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in international waters.
The summoning of the Indian ambassador has largely confirmed New Delhi's fears that Iran's allegations about Desh Shanti polluting Iranian waters may be a mere smokescreen for illegally taking possession of the vessel. Despite Tehran saying Indian ship was detained for purely technical reasons, India continues to maintain that there was no justification for IRGC to detain the tanker and take it to Bandar Abbas.
According to reports in the Iranian media on Thursday, an Iranian merchant vessel, Diyanat, was detained by Indian authorities around 18 months ago and it has remained stationed at Mundra port in Gulf of Kutch. Iran's deputy foreign minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi is reported to have demanded immediate release of the vessel and also asked the Indian envoy to ensure that its crew members are not subjected to any "mistreatment".
Indian authorities, however, countered this saying that Iranian ship had remained at Mundra because it had fallen foul of international admirality and maritime laws. The ship owners are said to be locked in a dispute with a firm based in a south-east Asian country and needs to pay a certain amount of money to the company before it is released. "This has hardly got anything to do with India and so no parallel can be drawn between the two cases,'' said a source, adding that Indian authorities have also allowed replacement of Diyanat crew several times since the ship docked at Mundra.
The fact that Desh Shanti was carrying 140,000 tonnes of Iraqi crude on its way to India when it was captured by IRGC has caused speculation about Iran's motives. India's crude import from Iraq has gone up steadily, and it now accounts for over 12% of India's total oil imports. On the contrary, imports from Iran went down to a little over 7% from over 10% during last fiscal.
All 32 crew members of Desh Shanti have also had to remain at Bandar Abbas. Despite India sending officials from here to convince Iranian authorities, Tehran continues to insist that the Indian ship discharged its oily ballast into Iranian waters and that it was detained only after an alert was issued by Bahrain-based Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre.
Now, Iran summons Indian envoy in diplomatic tit-for-tat - The Times of India
It looks the relationship between Iran and India is deteriorating.
