New Delhi: Eight of the 16 Indian sailors on the tanker Valiant Roar seized by the Iranian Coast Guard in December 2025 will return soon after the exit formalities are completed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Thursday.
“We have received consular access [to the sailors]. Our officials from our consulate in Bandar Abbas met with them. Eight of them have been released, they will be returning home as and when the formalities of their travels are completed,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a regular press briefing.
“We are in touch with Iranian authorities with regards to eight other sailors to offer them whatever support they need.”
The Aruba-flagged chemical and oil tanker was detained in international waters on 8 December 2025 near the port of Dibba in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The tanker consisted of 18 sailors, of which 16 of them are Indian nationals. The other crew members are a Sri Lankan national and a Bangladeshi national.
Last month, ThePrint reported that 10 Indian crew members were taken into custody by Iranian authorities, while the remaining six maintained the operations of the tanker.
Diplomatic sources had informed ThePrint that the crew are “free to leave” but remain on board “due to technical issues.” Of the six remaining crew members, the captain and chief engineer remained, while the Chief Officer (second-in-command), second engineer and a number of junior engineers and seamen were detained by Iranian authorities and removed from the vessel last month.
The ship was detained for allegedly smuggling six million litres of smuggled diesel, which is roughly 37,000 barrels. Iranian authorities have asserted that the vessel ignored orders to stop, lacked proper navigational and cargo documentation and that its radars were turned off.
The vessel was first detained at the port of Jask, before being moved to Bandar Abbas. The situation of the detained crew was also complicated due to the protests that rocked Iran at the end of December, which led to Tehran suppressing the situation violently.
Protests were reported from across Iran due to the economic situation, following the imposition of tough sanctions by the US as well as the UN sanctions coming back into effect.
Iranian authorities have stepped up vessel seizures to curb smuggling of fuel. In November, Tehran seized Talara, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, which was en route to Singapore from the UAE. The tanker was released after five days.
Tehran’s economic situation has faced numerous challenges due to the curbs of its oil exports. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi was expected to travel to New Delhi last month, a trip that did not materialise.
In December, Deputy National Security Adviser Pavan Kapoor visited Tehran and met with senior Iranian officials including Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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