Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of opening fire on fishing boats

The Iranian government on June 17 accused Saudi Arabian border guards of opening fire on a fishing boat, killing an Iranian sailor.

“Two Iranian fishing boats were fishing in the Persian Gulf waters when they were pushed off course by strong waves. Saudi Arabian border guards opened fire, killing one Iranian sailor,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted an official from the country’s Interior Ministry as saying.

Iranian fishing boats. Photo: PressTV.

Meanwhile, Majid Aqababai, Director General of Border Affairs at the Iranian Interior Ministry, said that an investigation was underway to determine whether the Iranian vessels had violated Saudi Arabia's borders. "However, the Saudis' actions clearly did not comply with humanitarian and maritime principles," he said.

Location of Iran and Saudi Arabia on the map. Photo: Al Jazeera.

Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to Iran's accusations.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are at their most tense in recent years. Last week, Riyadh and several other Arab governments announced they were cutting ties with Qatar over its support for Iran.

Tehran and Riyadh accuse each other of destabilizing regional security. The two countries also support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

According to Zing.vn