Iran's Foreign Ministry said Thursday it summoned the United Arab Emirates envoy after Emirati Coast Guard vessels shot at several Iranian fishing boats, killing two fishermen. Iran also said it seized an Emirati ship it said was illegally in Iranian waters and detained the crew three days ago.
The ministry said in a statement that Iran expressed its anger to the UAE's charge d'affaires in Tehran on Tuesday, a day after the incident.
On Monday, the UAE's Coast Guard opened fire on some Iranian fishing boats, killing two anglers, and seized one of the vessels and detained the fishermen, according to Iran.
Iran's Foreign Ministry urged the Emirati envoy to release the detained fishermen and lift the seizure of the boat and deliver the bodies of the two killed. It also demanded compensation and that appropriate measures be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
On the same day, Iran said it seized a UAE-registered ship violating its territorial waters and detained its crew members. "On Monday, an Emirati ship was seized by the border guards of Iran and its crew were detained due to illegal traffic in our country's waters," state TV quoted the statement as saying. "The UAE has expressed regret for the incident and in a letter on Wednesday announced its readiness to pay compensation."
Emirati officials and state media did not immediately acknowledge their diplomat being summoned in Tehran.
On Monday, the Emirates' state-run WAM news agency reported that eight fishing boats illegally entered UAE waters near Sir Bu Nair Island in the Persian Gulf. The WAM report said the boats did not stop when ordered to and "rules of engagement were applied," without elaborating on what that meant.
The Islamic Republic recently slammed the Emiratis over the Gulf state's decision to sign a peace agreement with Israel, saying the deal is a betrayal of the Palestinian people.