Saudi coast guard’s killing of Iranian fisherman unjustifiable: Qassemi

Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Saudi coast guard’s move to shoot and kill an Iranian fisherman was illegal and lacking any justification.

“The move by Saudi Arabia’s coast guard to shoot this fisherman runs counter to the established principles of international law and was an inhumane measure,” Bahram Qassemi on Sunday said, Press TV reported.

He added that Iran would continue its investigation of the incident and would seriously follow up on the issue.

Late on Saturday, Qassemi confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s coast guard had killed an Iranian fisherman and said the “bitter incident” was being investigated by Iran’s border guard and other related authorities.

Earlier on Saturday, the Iranian Interior Ministry’s director general for border affairs, Majid Aqa-Babaei, said the incident happened after two Iranian boats fishing in the Persian Gulf strayed from their course due to big sea waves.

“Accordingly and without establishing whether the Iranian boats had crossed Saudi borders, the coast guard of this country opened fire on the Iranian boats and an Iranian fisherman was killed due to a bullet hitting him in the waist,” he added.

SS