Four Romanians, stuck for a month on a ship captured by Iran. What does the MAE say about their situation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday, at the request of HotNews, new details in the case of the four Romanians on board the ship MSC Francesca, seized by Iran on April 22 in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is carefully following the evolution of the situation of the four Romanian citizens present on board the ship MSC Francesca, detained by the Iranian authorities on April 22, 2026”, announced the MAE, at the request of HotNews.
According to the MAE, from the information obtained by the Romanian Embassy in Tehran (including from the Iranian authorities), the Romanians are safe, have access to basic utilities and can talk with their families.
“Also, the Iranian authorities have confirmed that no judicial or custodial measures have been ordered against them”, stated the MFA.
They did not ask for assistance to return home
At the same time, the MFA says that, in the direct dialogue with the representatives of the diplomatic mission, “the Romanian citizens confirmed that they do not request consular assistance or support in order to return to Romania in the next period”.
“The Romanian Embassy in Tehran continues to monitor their situation, while also being in contact with the Iranian authorities. The MFA reminds that Romanian citizens facing a difficult, special, emergency situation on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran have at their disposal the emergency telephone number of the Romanian Embassy in Tehran: +98 21 77647570”, the MFA also stated.
MSC FRANCESCA is a large container ship (364 meters) under the flag of Panama, according to the specialized website marinetraffic.com. According to him, the port of departure was Dammam port (Saudi Arabia) and the reported destination was Hambantota (Sri Lanka).
The ship was intercepted by Revolutionary Guards fast boats in the Strait of Hormuz, who cited “maritime violations”.
