<p class="title">Iran has freed nine Indian crew members of a Panama-flagged tanker it seized this month, the Indian foreign ministry said on Saturday, and it appealed for the release of three remaining crew members held from the same ship.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dozens of Indian crew members on ships in the Gulf have been caught up in rising tensions between Iran and the West.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The MT Riah was detained by the Iranian coastguard on July 13, with 12 Indian crew members on board, the Indian foreign ministry said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Nine crew members have been released and they will be on their way to India soon," foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our mission in Iran has requested the concerned Iranian authorities for the release of remaining crew members."</p>.<p class="bodytext">No reason was provided as to why the three were being held.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Iranian state TV aired footage of the vessel a few days after it was seized, saying it had been detained by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards for smuggling fuel.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Indian and Iranian authorities said this week Iran had granted India consular access to 18 Indian crew seized on another ship, the British-flagged Stena Impero, that Iran seized in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The seizure of the British tanker in the world’s most important waterway for the oil trade has deepened a crisis between Iran and the West that was triggered in May when the United States tightened sanctions, effectively barring all countries from buying Iranian oil.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Iran said it had seized the Stena Impero because it had collided with a fishing boat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India’s junior foreign minister, V. Muraleedharan, said India was pushing for the release of the Indian crew on the British vessel.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India has had long-standing political and energy ties with Iran, but it has cut off all its oil supplies from it because of U.S. sanctions. </p>
<p class="title">Iran has freed nine Indian crew members of a Panama-flagged tanker it seized this month, the Indian foreign ministry said on Saturday, and it appealed for the release of three remaining crew members held from the same ship.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dozens of Indian crew members on ships in the Gulf have been caught up in rising tensions between Iran and the West.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The MT Riah was detained by the Iranian coastguard on July 13, with 12 Indian crew members on board, the Indian foreign ministry said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Nine crew members have been released and they will be on their way to India soon," foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our mission in Iran has requested the concerned Iranian authorities for the release of remaining crew members."</p>.<p class="bodytext">No reason was provided as to why the three were being held.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Iranian state TV aired footage of the vessel a few days after it was seized, saying it had been detained by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards for smuggling fuel.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Indian and Iranian authorities said this week Iran had granted India consular access to 18 Indian crew seized on another ship, the British-flagged Stena Impero, that Iran seized in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The seizure of the British tanker in the world’s most important waterway for the oil trade has deepened a crisis between Iran and the West that was triggered in May when the United States tightened sanctions, effectively barring all countries from buying Iranian oil.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Iran said it had seized the Stena Impero because it had collided with a fishing boat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India’s junior foreign minister, V. Muraleedharan, said India was pushing for the release of the Indian crew on the British vessel.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India has had long-standing political and energy ties with Iran, but it has cut off all its oil supplies from it because of U.S. sanctions. </p>