Saudi Coastguard Kills Iranian Fisherman


TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Saudi Arabia’s coastguard has opened fire on two Iranian fishing boats in the Persian Gulf waters, killing a fisherman, an official said.

Speaking to Tasnim on Saturday, Majid Aqababaee, director of border affairs at Iran’s Interior Ministry, said the two Iranian fishing boats in the Persian Gulf were blown off course by the waves.

Thereafter, he added, the Saudi border guards began to shoot at the boats without verifying whether the vessels had crossed the Saudi border.

An Iranian fisherman was killed in the incident after being shot in his back, Aqababaee added.

The attack was against the humanitarian principles, he noted, saying the Saudi Arabian forces were not allowed to open fire at the Iranian boats even if the vessels had accidentally crossed the kingdom’s border.

"We are pursuing this case to ascertain whether the Iranian boats had crossed the Saudi border or not,” the official added.