Iran Press/ Iran News: The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, on Friday, May 26, 2022, seized two Greek tankers for violations in the Persian Gulf waters.
In a statement, a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson called on Iranian officials to release the tankers and said: "We call on Iran to immediately release the crews and vessels."
"France reiterates its commitment to the rules of international law protecting the freedom of navigation and maritime safety. We call on Iran to immediately cease its actions that contravene these rules," the statement added.
Meanwhile, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson also called on Iranian officials to release the Greek tanker and its crew, stating: "We call upon Iran to release the ships and their crews immediately and to respect the right to free navigation and maritime security."
In response to these statements on Wednesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stated: "We strongly reject the issuance of such one-sided and unjustifiable statements, which seem to have become a constant habit among its issuers."
Khatibzadeh advised them to support international litigation to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security rather than escape to forward and improperly defend violations committed by Greek ships.
He pointed out that, unfortunately, these countries are protesting against the legal measures taken in Iran. At the same time, they are silent in the face of the illegal seizure of the Iranian-flagged ship by the Greek authorities and the unloading of its cargo in accordance with another country's internal laws and regulations.
"Such inappropriate interference in Iran's independent judicial process will not help resolve the issues; hence, as we have told the Greek authorities, it is appropriate, instead of political and media movements, to resolve the issues through legal and judicial means with the competent authorities of Iran," Khatibzadeh concluded.
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Iran seizes 2 Greek oil tankers in Persian Gulf
