Saudi Killing of Fisherman Unwarranted

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Saudi coast guard’s move to shoot and kill an Iranian fisherman was illegal and devoid of any justification.

“The move by the Saudi coast guard to shoot the fisherman is against established principles of international law and was an inhumane act,” Bahram Qasemi told ISNA on Sunday. Iran will continue its investigation into the incident and is seriously following up on the issue.

Late on Saturday, Qasemi confirmed that Saudi coast guard had killed an Iranian fisherman and said the “bitter incident” was being probed by Iran’s border guard and other relevant authorities. 

Earlier on Saturday, the Interior Ministry’s director general for border affairs, Majid Aqa-Babaei, said the incident occurred after two Iranian boats fishing in the Persian Gulf strayed from their course due to bad weather.

“Accordingly and without establishing whether the Iranian boats had crossed Saudi borders, the coast guard of this country opened fire on the Iranian boats and an Iranian fisherman was killed after being shot in the waist.”