TEHRAN - Iranian naval guards have seized four Indian vessels for trespassing on the country's territorial waters in the Arvand waterway on the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
Colonel Mohammad-Ali Musivand, commander of Abadan Navy Base, told the ISNA news agency that the vessels had been seized on Saturday morning during a patrol by his forces.
The vessels had 16 crew members who were arrested as "border intruders," he added.
Musivand further stressed that all those detained will be freed after Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes measures to resolve their problem.
Iran closely monitors all movements in its territorial waters to protect marine life and ensure the security of the country’s sea borders.
In November last year, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei met with Navy commanders and personnel on the occasion of National Navy Day.
The Leader highlighted the achievements made by Iran’s naval forces to safeguard national interests as well as their effective role in ensuring the security of trans-regional and international waters, underlining the need for the Navy to speed up its progress in various fields.