Centre intervenes for release of Indians on Israeli ship; S Jaishankar holds talks with Iran

NEW DELHI: The central government has initiated efforts for the release of Indians on board 'MSC Aries', the Israel-linked cargo ship seized by Iran. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Iran's Foreign Minister for the release of Indians, including Malayalis, on the ship. Jaishankar said that diplomatic talks should be held urgently to resolve the issue.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written a letter to the Centre asking for its intervention for the release of the Malayali crewmembers on the ship. In the letter, the Chief Minister requested the Centre to ensure the safety of the crewmembers and take immediate intervention.

There are 25 crew members on the ship. Among them, 17 people are Indians, including four Malayalis. The Malayalis on the ship are PV Dhanesh from Wayanad, Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Shyamnath from Kozhikode and Sumesh from Palakkad. The rest of the crew members are from the Philippines, Pakistan, Russia and Estonia. Meanwhile, a report has come out stating that everyone, including the Malayali crew on the ship, is safe.