Countries react to Strait of Hormuz tesions
(VOVWORLD) - India is in touch with Iran to secure the release of 18 Indians serving on Stena Impero, a British-flagged tanker, seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, said Raveesh Kumar, spokesman for India's Foreign Ministry. The Philippines also said earlier it would ask Iran to free a Filipino crew member on the Swedish-owned Stena Impero which was seized on Friday.
 Map of the Strait of Hormuz (Photo: Google Map) |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain said in a statement on Saturday that Bahrain strongly condemns the Iranian detention of the oil tanker and urged Iran for an immediate release. The ministry also stressed the need for Tehran to stop these irresponsible actions.
The same day, the European Union accused Tehran of risking further escalation, saying the detention worsened the tension and deteriorate efforts to settle existing conflicts.
France and Germany voiced their concern on Saturday over the seizure of the tanker and called Iran to release the ship. The Foreign Ministries of both countries agreed that a further escalation of regional tensions is be very dangerous and undermine all ongoing efforts to find a way out of the current crisis.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is worried about the confrontation between Iran and the West, especially the US and the UK. The detention may affect several countries which have close bonds with Russia, leading to a worse migration crisis and a huge loss to the world economy, specifically the energy industry, Putin said.