Iranian vessel, sailors seized off Yemen coast, PM says

An Iranian vessel with 19 sailors on board was seized by Yemeni fishermen off the coast of Socotra island, Yemen's Prime Minister has claimed.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

22 October, 2017

Yemeni fishermen reportedly seized an Iranian vessel [Getty]

An Iranian vessel with 19 sailors on board was captured off the coast of Yemen by local fishermen, Yemeni prime minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr said on Saturday.

The ship was seized off the coast of Socotra island, Obeid bin Daghr said on Twitter.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said that the Yemeni government, which Tehran does not recognise, had "claimed" that an Iranian vessel with a crew of 19 had been seized on Friday.

There were no further details on the ship or its cargo.

Regional and Western sources have said that Iran is sending advanced weapons and military advisers to Yemen's rebel Houthi movement, stepping up support for its Shia ally in the country's devastating civil war.

Iran rejects accusations from Saudi Arabia - which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to back forces loyal to President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi - that it is giving financial and military support to the Houthis, blaming the crisis on Riyadh.

The Yemen war has killed more than 10,000 Yemenis since 2015 and pushed the country to the brink of famine.