India Urges Iran To Grant Consular Access To 16 Crew Members Of Seized Oil Tanker

India has urged Iranian authorities to grant consular access to 16 Indian crew members of a seized oil tanker, MT Valiant Roar, the Indian embassy in Tehran wrote in a statement.

“Around mid-December 2025,

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 14 December) wrote to the Government of Iran seeking consular access to the crew,” the embassy wrote in a statement.

“The request for consular access has been repeated numerous times since then, both by diplomatic correspondence and in-person meetings in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, including at the level of the Ambassador. The Iranian authorities were also requested to allow the crew to communicate with the families in India,” it added.

The embassy is working to ensure the crew’s welfare, including food, water, and fuel supplies arranged with the Iranian navy’s help, and is also engaging in discussions with a UAE-based ship-owning company for legal representation and provisions. The Indian Consulate also established contact with the UAE-based company that owns the ship on December 15.

Regarding detention of a Merchant Vessel (MT VALIANT ROAR) with Indian Crew members, by Iranian Authorities.@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/9h1YV1rGd6

— India in Iran (@India_in_Iran) January 17, 2026

“Upon being informed by the ship of depleting food and water stocks, the Mission intervened with the Iranian navy to arrange emergency supplies of food and water in early January. The Indian Consulate in Dubai has also been pressing upon the ship-owning company to ensure legal representation and regular supplies of provisions to the ship,” it said.

The matter is expected to be subject to judicial process in Iran as India presses for consular access. The statement by the embassy comes shortly after the family of Third Engineer Ketan Mehta appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the rescue of their son on Thursday.

The MT Valiant Roar was intercepted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on December 8, 2025, in the international waters near Dibba Port, UAE. The Iranian authorities have accused the vessel of smuggling 6,000 MT of fuel.