More than 40 Iranian seafarers killed during US–Israeli war: Union leader

EXCLUSIVE

The Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate has blamed US and Israeli attacks connected Iran’s ports and commerical fleet for civilian deaths.

At slightest 44 Iranian seafarers person been killed and 29 injured since the commencement of the United States-Israeli warfare connected Iran, according to the caput of Iran’s merchant marine union.

The database of fatalities includes 22 civilian sailors, 16 fishermen and six dock workers killed betwixt February 28 and April 1, Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate General-Secretary Saman Rezaei told Al Jazeera connected Friday.

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Al Jazeera could not independently verify the database of deaths, which Rezaei said were collected by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization and members of his union. The deaths bash not see members of Iran’s navy who were killed by US and Israeli forces, helium said.

Rezaei submitted his findings successful respective letters of ailment to the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) during March and April, wherever helium attributed the deaths to “attacks by US and Israeli armies connected Iranian ports and commercialized fleets” crossed Iran’s territorial waters and the Gulf. His letters authorities that astatine slightest 29 Iranian seafarers person besides been injured and 9 are missing.

The Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate is affiliated with the International Transportation Workers’ Federation (ITF) and represents workers during negotiations with Iranian shipping companies. Since the warfare began, it has besides offered humanitarian, aesculapian and repatriation assistance to stranded seafarers.

“The humanitarian situation is affecting each seafarers successful the Persian Gulf, including the crews of Iranian-flagged ships. However, they [Iranian seafarers] look a unsocial and terrifying acceptable of pressures,” Rezaei told Al Jazeera connected Friday.

He said seafarers were not lone acrophobic astir supplies moving low, but besides faced “severe intelligence distress” aft spending 60 days trapped successful a warfare portion spanning the Gulf to the Indian Ocean.

US and Israeli forces person carried retired much than 3,000 aerial strikes crossed Iran since February 28, according to the autarkic struggle show Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), portion Iran carried retired astir 1,600 retaliatory strikes crossed the Middle East.

A US-Iran ceasefire has been successful unit since April 8, but the US separately launched a naval blockade of each Iranian ports connected April 13 to chopped disconnected Iran’s lipid exports and unit Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The waterway, done which a 5th of the world’s vigor and state exports usually flow, has been de facto closed since the commencement of the war. The shutdown has stranded 20,000 seafarers successful and astir the strait for astatine slightest 2 months.

Despite the ceasefire, Iranian forces person continued to occurrence connected ships trying to exit the Strait of Hormuz, and connected April 22, seized 2 Panama and Liberia-flagged cargo ships.

US forces separately seized the Iranian-flagged MV Touska and detained its unit successful the Gulf of Oman connected April 19, with the US Central Command accusing the vas of violating its naval blockade.

The Touska is besides reportedly nether US sanctions owed to its “prior past of amerciable activity,” according to US President Donald Trump.

Rezaei told Al Jazeera that those detained connected committee the Touska included 23 unit members, 2 cadets, 2 women and 1 child, though these figures could not beryllium independently verified.

He said the 2 women and the kid were among the six members of the Touska released this week by US forces and returned to Iran.

According to the IMO, Iran’s attacks connected vessels successful the Gulf oregon those attempting to transverse the Strait of Hormuz person besides killed astatine slightest 10 seafarers since the commencement of the war.

The IMO did not respond to Al Jazeera’s emailed petition for comment.

Stephen Cotton, the wide caput of the ITF, told Al Jazeera it was important to retrieve that the seafarers caught up connected either broadside of the warfare are civilians.

“The constituent is these are seafarers. You tin accidental they nether connected an Iranian flag, and there’s sanctions, but not everybody agrees with the sanctions,” helium said.  

A missive from the Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate (IMMS) to the International Maritime Organisation dated April 1, 2026 regarding Iranian seafarer deaths. [Handout via IMMS]