Iran to release seized Maersk ship

Tigris will have to 1st pay fee for freedom

By Cheryl Chumley
Published May 6, 2015 at 6:32am

Iran Revolutionary Guard members patrol waters.

Iran said it will free a Maersk ship in two days, so long as Marshal Island authorities pay a fine.

Marzieh Afkham, the foreign ministry spokeswoman for the country, said "based on the information we have acquired, it is likely that the dispute will be settled within [the] next two days," the Associated Press reported.

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Iran seized the Maersk Tigris while it was traveling the Strait of Hormuz on April 28. The United States, which has an agreement to protect Marshal Island vessels, sent in a destroyer to the area shortly after learning Iran fired upon the ship and forced it to dock. The United States also sent a plane to monitor Iran's aggression from the skies.

The ship's since been held by Iranian authorities, based on a complaint from a private Tehran company.

The amount of the fee-for-freedom was not disclosed.

Iran, as previously reported by WND, fired on a U.S.-flagged ship just days before seizing the Maersk Tigris.