Iran to return detained Iraqi sailors
Nine Iraqi sailors detained by Iran after a weekend clash involving an Iranian vessel are expected to be returned later today, according to Iraqi officials.
The governor of Basra, Mohammed al-Waeli, said the sailors were expected to be returned at about 3pm local time at the Shilamcha land border crossing between Iraq and Iran.
Khaled al-Shamary, spokesman for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, confirmed that Iranian authorities notified Iraq that they will return the sailors.
Al-Waeli said the sailors were detained following a clash between Iraqi and Iranian coastguard ships near the Shatt al-Arab waterway, or Arvand River, in the Persian Gulf.
Iranian authorities have denied claims that an Iranian naval vessel fought a skirmish with an Iraqi coastguard ship, but said there was a clash between Iranian patrol boats and a merchant ship that headed toward Iranian waters.
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