Iran announced, on Monday, that 10 of its fishermen had been found in the United Arab Emirates, weeks after they went missing along with 3 other fishermen off the coast, while the fate of the three is still unknown.
Muhammad Soleimani, representative of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hormozgan Governorate, said that the UAE authorities informed the Iranian embassy in Abu Dhabi that the ten fishermen were there and that they could leave.
Soleimani explained that the fishermen, who had been missing since the beginning of August, did not have their passports, which prompted the Iranian embassy to provide them with travel documents in preparation for their return to Hormozgan on the first flight this week.
He pointed out that Tehran does not yet have information about the other three fishermen, stressing that their situation will continue to be monitored with neighboring countries.
In July, the Iranian embassy in the UAE announced the return of 55 Iranian fishermen who were detained in the country, after efforts made by the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Iranian consulate in Dubai.
In August, IRNA reported that 17 other Iranian fishermen from the city of Qanarak had been missing since May, after contact with their ship “Shaheen 2” was lost at a distance of about 70 nautical miles off the coast of Oman.
The developments come in light of continued tension in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian fishermen face the repercussions of the confrontation between Iran and the United States, including bombing and mine operations in the region.
