Tehran, January 17 (ANI): The Indian Embassy in Tehran on Saturday urged Iranian authorities to grant consular access to 16 Indian crew members detained on the MT Valiant Roar. Despite repeated requests since December 14, access has not yet been granted.
“Around mid-December 2025, the Mission was informed about the detention of the vessel MT Valiant Roar by Iranian authorities, with 16 Indian crew members on board. The Consulate of India in Bandar Abbas immediately (on December 14) wrote to the Government of Iran seeking consular access to the crew,” the embassy statement said.
The statement added that requests for consular access have been repeated multiple times through diplomatic correspondence and in-person meetings in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, including at the ambassadorial level. The Iranian authorities were also asked to allow the crew to communicate with their families in India.
The embassy said it is working to ensure the crew’s welfare, including arranging food, water, and fuel with assistance from the Iranian navy, and coordinating with the UAE-based ship-owning company for legal representation and provisions. “The Consulate also established contact with the UAE-based company that owns the ship on December 15, and has been in touch with the Iran-based agents of the company to press for provision of food, water, and fuel for the ship, and to arrange legal representation for the crew in Iranian courts. Upon being informed of depleting food and water stocks, the Mission intervened with the Iranian navy to arrange emergency supplies in early January. The Indian Consulate in Dubai has also been pressing the ship-owning company to ensure legal representation and regular supplies of provisions to the ship,” the statement said.
The matter is expected to undergo judicial proceedings in Iran. However, the Mission and Consulate continue to urge Iranian authorities to grant early consular access to the crew and ensure the expedited completion of judicial processes.
The statement comes shortly after the family of Third Engineer Ketan Mehta appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday for assistance in rescuing their son. Mehta is one of the 16 Indian crew members detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The MT Valiant Roar was intercepted by the IRGC on December 8, 2025, in international waters near Dibba Port, UAE. Iranian authorities have accused the vessel of smuggling 6,000 metric tons of fuel.
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