by Theleaders-Online | January 1, 2020 1:42 am
KUALA LUMPUR: The 16 shipping personnel arrested by Iranian authorities for allegedly smuggling oil near Abu Musa Island in the Persian Gulf, are most likely not Malaysians.
Speaking to reporters during the New Year Eve celebration at Dataran Merdeka, Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said that he was still waiting for details on the matter.
“The 16 crews may not be Malaysians. But I cannot say for sure.
“We are still waiting for further information from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Till then, I can’t comment further,” he said.
On Monday, the AFP news agency reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a ship suspected of smuggling fuel and arrested 16 crew members.
Quoting IRIB state television, the report said Iranian authorities confiscated 1.3 million litres of “smuggled fuel” from the unnamed vessel about 15 nautical miles from Abu Musa island.
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