The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) today called the Iranian ambassador to Lisbon, to whom it reiterated its condemnation of the attack on Israel and renewed its “demand for the immediate release” of the ship “MSC Aries”, the Palácio das Necessidades announced.
In a statement released today, the MFA said that “the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning, April 16”.
During the meeting with the Director General for Foreign Policy, the Portuguese government reiterated its “strong and categorical condemnation of the recent attack against the State of Israel”.
According to the note, the ministry headed by Paulo Rangel also “expressed its deep concern at the escalation of the conflict in the region, calling for maximum restraint”.
At the meeting, the MFA also insisted on “demanding the immediate release of the ship ‘MSC Aries’, which is under arrest in the Strait of Hormuz, in light of Portugal’s obligations as a flag state”.
“They also demanded the release of the crew, who must be treated with dignity while the ship remains under arrest, as the explanations given so far are not consistent,” the statement added.
The Portuguese government, it said, “will await the results of this formal demarche and will evaluate further steps accordingly”.