Iran Summons Emirati Envoy to Condemn UAE Killing of Its Fishermen

“Right after the incident in which two fishermen were also killed, relevant Iranian officials put on their agenda an immediate investigation into the tragic event,” the Foreign Ministry said in a Thursday statement.

“After the situation on the ground was carefully examined, the UAE diplomat was summoned to the ministry in the early hours of the following days by the director of the International Legal Affairs Department of the ministry,” it added.

At the ministry, the Iranian official has condemned the UAE vessels’ harassment of the Iranian fishing boats, saying the responsibility for this illegal and out-of-norm move rests with the UAE government.

He has stressed that those arrested as well as the fishing boats seized must be released, and bodies of those killed must be handed over to Iran. The Iranian official has also demanded compensation for the damage inflicted and called on the UAE to take the necessary measures to prevent such events from happening again in the future.

The UAE charge daffaires, for his part, has expressed regret over the incident, and underlined that he will inform Abu Dhabi of the developments accordingly.

In less than 24 hours, another meeting was also held between the UAE diplomat and the Iranian official to follow up on the outcome of the previous talks, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

“Following these developments in Tehran and thanks to efforts by the Iranian embassy in the UAE, the Abu Dhabi government sent an official note yesterday expressing deep sorrow over the incident and expressed its readiness to make up for all the damage inflicted,” the statement added.

“Also, through the coordination of both countries’ border guards, the seized fishing boat and its crew were released. The legal procedure for delivering the bodies of those killed is underway.”

Moreover, the statement said, on the same day (August 17, 2020) a UAE vessel was intercepted and its crew arrested by Iranian border guard boats for illegally entering Iranian waters. Legal procedure is underway to look into the situation of the vessel.

“The Foreign Ministry deems it necessary to once again announce to all countries in the Persian Gulf that the Islamic Republic of Iran brooks no encroachment upon its interests and no harassment of its nationals in the Persian Gulf, and will adopt all necessary measures to support its vessels and nationals,” it added.