Iran releases 10 sailors detained in 2025

India has secured the release of 10 of its merchant navy sailors who had been detained in Iran for nearly a year, India’s shipping authority said in a statement late on Tuesday. 

The 10 Indian seafarers aboard the oil tanker MV Harbour Phoenix were “detained, arrested and imprisoned in Iran” after the vessel was intercepted near Jask Port in July 2025. 

Even before the recent war, Iran regularly intercepted ships it suspected of illegally carrying fuel into the Gulf.

“Through sustained diplomatic engagement and coordinated efforts… the seafarers have now been released and reunited safely,” India’s Directorate General of Shipping said in a statement. 

India pursued a policy of diplomacy and made minimal comments to the media, not giving details on the negotiations or the reason for the arrest. Multiple ship-tracking websites list the MV Harbour Phoenix as a Palau-flagged oil products tanker.

New Delhi and Tehran have long-standing diplomatic ties, which India’s foreign ministry often balances with its strategic ties with the US, asrecently seen during the Middle East crisis.

Good morning! And welcome to DW’s India news blog.

This is Mahima Kapoor from the New Delhi Bureau, braving the heat and the mid-week slumps to bring to you the biggest headlines from India. 

The days-long heatwave cutting through India has triggered several forest fires in Himachal Pradesh, while a massive blaze is already raging in Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir.

India’s shipping authorities said they secured the release of some Indian merchant navy sailors who were detained by Iran in 2025, after continued diplomatic efforts. 

Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Supreme Court of India which is expected to pronounce its judgement on several cases challenging the constitutional validity of the controversial Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls being conducted by the center in poll-bound states.

We will discuss all of this and more. Stay tuned!