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Diplomats seek access to Russian crew members of detained British oil tanker - embassy

There are no threats to their life and health, the Russian diplomat said

Stena Impero EPA-EFE/Tasnim News Agency

Stena Impero

© EPA-EFE/Tasnim News Agency

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Diplomats continue efforts to contact the Russian crew members of the Stena Impero oil tanker, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Tehran told TASS on Sunday.

"We managed to contact the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s office in the city where the tanker had been taken," he said. "According to him, the crew members remain onboard and are free to move about the tanker. At the same time, international maritime rules prevent them from leaving the vessel," the spokesperson added.

"The crew members are well, there are no threats to their life and health," the Russian diplomat said, noting that "we are working with our Iranian partners, seeking to contact the Russian sailors."

On Friday, the Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that the Stena Impero oil tanker flying the British flag had been detained in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the tanker was detained for violating international rules and was escorted to the shore for inspections. The tanker’s crew includes three Russian nationals.

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