Portugal summons Iranian envoy to condemn attack on Israel, demand release of ship

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Portugal on Tuesday summoned the Iranian envoy to condemn Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel and to call for the release of a ship seized in the Gulf.

"The meeting with the Director General of Foreign Policy made it possible to reiterate vehement and categorical condemnation of the recent attack carried out against the State of Israel," said Foreign Ministry statement said.

“The Portuguese Government expressed its deep concern about the escalation of conflict in the region, calling for maximum containment,” it added.

Iran on Saturday launched an airborne attack on Israel in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital. It reportedly fired more than 300 drones and missiles, with almost all intercepted by the air defense systems of Israel and its allies – the US, France, and the UK.

The Portuguese Foreign Ministry statement said that the government also renewed the demand for the immediate release of the MSC Aries ship, detained over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will await the results of this formal démarche and will evaluate further steps accordingly," it said.

On Saturday, Iran's state-run news agency IRNA reported that MSC Aries was seized by the marine unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in a special heliborne operation.