RIYADH, July 12: Iran has released five Saudi Arabian fishing boats and their Indian crew which had strayed into Iranian waters, Saudi border officials said.

The move followed the freeing earlier this week by Saudi authorities of two Iranian vessels which had entered the kingdom’s territorial waters.

“Iran on Thursday released five vessels which were held for two weeks after they entered Iranian territorial waters,” said General Abdurrahman al-Brahim, head of the Saudi border guard in the Eastern Province.

The boats returned to port in Darin, on the Saudi east coast and the 22 Indian crew members were questioned about how the incident occurred, he said.

Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday it had freed two Iranian fishing boats which strayed into its waters and said it hoped the gesture would lead Iran to do the same with the Saudi vessels.

Iranian news agency Fars said on July 3 that Tehran had seized the fishing boats in territorial waters near its first nuclear power plant which is currently under construction in Bushehr.

In June 2007, Iran arrested the crew of three Emirati boats it had seized for illegal entry and fishing in its territorial waters.

—AFP