NEW DELHI: The government has approached Iran for release of Indian nationals who are among the crew on board a British-flagged oil tanker seized by Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz where tensions have run high following tightening of US sanctions and deployment of American forces. Reports say that 18 crew members are Indian.“We are ascertaining further details on the incident. Our mission is in touch with the government of Iran to secure early release and repatriation of Indian nationals,” said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, responding to a query on detention of Indian crew members along with oil tanker Stena Impero by Iranian authorities. According to a media report, there are 23 crew members on board the British-flagged oil tanker seized by Iran.The Stena Impero was seized on Friday by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s seizure of the British-flagged oil tanker was allegedly due to a collision with an Iranian fishing boat, Iran’s official news agency IRNA said.In early July, British marines and Gibraltar police seized an Iranian tanker off the Southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar claimed that the ship was transporting crude oil to Syria “in violation” of the EU sanctions placed on Damascus.Around mid-June, two oil tankers were attacked with the US blaming Iran while Tehran denied any role in the incidents. Iran has regularly blamed Israel for incidents in the Gulf region, claiming that the desert state was trying to provoke hostilities. In the tanker incident, US reports said Iran was responsible while a video showed what was claimed to be an IRGC vessel removing a mine from near one of the tankers.“There are 18 Indian and five crew members from Russia, Philippines, Latvia and other countries on board . The captain is Indian, but the tanker is UK-flagged,” the news agency quoted Allahmorad Afifipour, director general of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Hormuzgan province, as saying.