Dad and mom of one of many Indian seafarer, Ketan Mehta, have additionally appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to safe their son’s launch.
| Picture Credit score: ANI
The Indian Embassy in Tehran on Saturday (January 17, 2026) urged Iranian authorities to grant consular entry to 16 Indian seafarers who have been detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) on December 8, 2025.
The matter is anticipated to be topic to judicial course of in Iran, the Embassy mentioned in a press release posted on X. The 16 individuals detained have been crew members on vessel ‘MT Valiant Roar’.
“Round mid-December 2025, Mission was knowledgeable in regards to the detention of the vessel MT Valiant Roar by Iranian authorities, with 16 Indian crew members on board. The Consulate of India in Bandar Abbas instantly (on 14 December) wrote to the Authorities of Iran in search of Consular Entry to the crew,” the assertion learn.
Entry has not been granted regardless of repeated requests since December 14, 2025, the Mission mentioned, including that the Embassy Consulate in Dubai can be urgent the UAE-based firm which owns the ship for additional authorized assist. It reached out to the corporate first on December 15, 2025, it mentioned.
“The request for consular entry has been repeated quite a few occasions since then, each by diplomatic correspondence and in-person conferences in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, together with on the degree of the Ambassador. The Iranian authorities have been additionally requested to permit the crew to speak with their households in India,” the assertion additional mentioned.
The Indian Embassy additionally mentioned that it’s working to make sure the crew’s welfare by way of provision of meals, water, and gas provides. “The Consulate has subsequently been in contact with the Iran-based brokers of the corporate, to press upon the corporate to make sure provision of meals, water and gas for the ship, and likewise to rearrange authorized illustration for the crew in Iranian courts,” it mentioned.
“Upon being knowledgeable by the ship of depleting meals and water shares, the Mission intervened with the Iranian navy to rearrange emergency provides of meals and water in early January. The Indian Consulate in Dubai has additionally been urgent upon the ship-owning firm to make sure authorized illustration and common provides of provisions to the ship,” the assertion added.
The newest assertion from the Indian Embassy comes after the relations of the 16 seafarers appealed within the Delhi Excessive Courtroom, urging to direct the federal government “to take steps to supply consular entry to the detained individuals and to safe well timed completion of investigation and their repatriation to India”.
The Delhi Excessive Courtroom on Thursday (January 16, 2026) issued discover to the Union authorities The matter has been posted for listening to on January 21, in keeping with Gurinder Pal Singh, the counsel for the seafarers.
Dad and mom of one of many Indian seafarer, Ketan Mehta, have additionally appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to safe their son’s launch.
On the time of detention on December 8, 2026, the crew members have been on a vessel in worldwide waters off the Dibba port close to Dubai.
The vessel ‘MT Valiant Roar’ is owned by Glory Worldwide FZ LLC /Prime Tankers LLC, Dubai, additionally known as World Tankers in India. The petitioners have mentioned that the vessel was carrying Very Low Sulphur Gasoline Oil (VLSFO) however Iran has accused the seafarers of smuggling diesel.
Revealed – January 17, 2026 07:19 pm IST
