Latvia Protests Detention Of Its Citizen On Board UK's Stena Impero Tanker Seized By Iran

RIGA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2019) The Foreign Ministry of Latvia has submitted on Saturday a note of protest to the Iranian Embassy in Stockholm asking to release the Latvian crew member of the UK-flagged Stena Impero oil tanker, detained by Tehran during passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Friday, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the UK oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz over what it described as a breach of international maritime regulations. The vessel with 23 crew members on board has been guided to the Bandar Abbas port. The crew includes 18 Indians, three Russians, a Latvian and a Filipino.

"On 20 July, the [Latvian] Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a note to the Embassy of Iran in Stockholm calling for the rights of the Latvian national to be ensured as well as for his soonest possible release," the statement read.

The statement has added that Riga maintains constant contact on the incident with the European Union and United Kingdom.

The maritime clash comes after UK Marines helped detain an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar on July 4 on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused London of piracy.