DAMMAM: Saudi Border Guards did not receive any communication from Iran concerning the detention of Saudi fishing vessels, said Col. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for the Border Guards in the Eastern Province.
According to an Iranian news agency report on Thursday, Iranian forces seized four Saudi fishing vessels crewed by Indian nationals in territorial waters near its nuclear power plant.
Al-Ghamdi added that there were several instances of unintentional trespassing into Iranian territorial waters by Saudi-owned fishing boats (often manned by Asian expatriate workers) and their return in the past.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have a bilateral agreement to return persons and vessels seized during these violations.
A Saudi security expert ruled out the possibility of the fishing boats posing security risks to Iran as they were ordinary boats without advanced devices.
Al-Watan daily reported yesterday quoting Iranian sources that the fishermen would be released after the completion of the routine procedure.
