Iran calls on Saudi Arabia to free 3 'fishermen'

TEHRAN

Iran has called on Saudi Arabia to release three "fishermen" detained in the Gulf last week.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the interior ministry called for "the release as quickly as possible of the three fishermen".

According to Saudi authorities, coast guards detained three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aboard a vessel seized last Friday.

Riyadh said the vessel was explosive and ammunition-laden and attempted to attack the platforms of the Saudi oil field of Marjan.

Tehran has denied the men were IRGC members and accused Saudi coast guards of killing another fisherman after opening fire on Iranian fishing boats.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have strained since Riyadh severed diplomatic ties with Tehran early last year after its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad came under mob attacks following the execution of a Saudi Shia cleric.