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Iran committed to navigation freedom in Persian Gulf — minister

On April 28, Iran detained in the Strait of Hormuz the Marshall Islands-flagged Maersk Tigris container ship belonging to the Danish shipping company Maersk

Iranian warship in the Strait of Hormuz AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Mahdi Marizad

Iranian warship in the Strait of Hormuz

© AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Mahdi Marizad

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Iran detains US ship in Gulf — media

NEW YORK/COPENHAGEN, April 29. /TASS/. Iran will not take steps to hamper free navigation in the Persian Gulf, the country's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.

"The Persian Gulf is our lifeline ... We will respect international navigation," Zarif said speaking at New York University.

The minister said that "freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf is a must" for the Islamic Republic.

On April 28, Iran detained in the Strait of Hormuz the Marshall Islands-flagged Maersk Tigris container ship belonging to the Danish shipping company Maersk Line.

Zarif said the ship's seizure had "nothing to do with politics" and was strictly a legal case.

Meanwhile, Maersk Line said in a statement that the company was unaware of the reason's for the ship's detention.

Maersk said that Iran had informed the company that "the seizure of Maersk Tigris is related to an allegedly unresolved cargo claim,"

"We have however not received any written notification or similar pertaining to the claim or the seizure of the vessel. We are therefore not able to confirm whether or not this is the actual reason behind the seizure," the company said.

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