Indian embassy says vessel with 16 Indian crew members detained in Iran, seeks consular access | World News
The Minry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (File Photo)
The Embassy of India in Iran on Saturday said that Iranian authorities detained a vessel named MT Valiant Roar around mid-December 2025 with 16 Indian crew members on board and the Consulate of India in Bandar Abbas wrote to the Iranian government on December 14 to seek consular access to the crew.
The tanker was seized Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on December 8. The IRGC, which intercepted the vessel in international waters off the port of Dibba, UAE, has alleged that the tanker was reportedly smuggling 6,000 tonnes of fuel.
Regarding detention of a Merchant Vessel (MT VALIANT ROAR) with Indian Crew members, Iranian Authorities.@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/9h1YV1rGd6— India in Iran (@India_in_Iran) January 17, 2026
Informing about the consular access, the Indian embassy said in a post on X said, “The request for consular access has been repeated numerous times since then, both diplomatic correspondence and in-person meetings in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, including at the level of the Ambassador. The Iranian authorities were also requested to allow the crew to communicate with their families in India.”
The Indian embassy informed that the consulate established contact with the UAE-based company which owns the ship on December 15 and since then, “has subsequently been in touch with the Iran-based agents of the company, to press upon the company to ensure provision of food, water and fuel for the ship, and also to arrange legal representation for the crew in Iranian courts.”
