Russian ship frees Iranians seized with pirates

AP: Iran's embassy in Moscow says a Russian warship has freed eight Iranians who were seized along with suspected Somali pirates last week.

The Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Iran's embassy in Moscow says a Russian warship has freed eight Iranians who were seized along with suspected Somali pirates last week.

The embassy says the Iranians had been held captive by the pirates for almost three months, and has praised the Russian Navy for the rescue.

The Russian destroyer Admiral Panteleyev captured a vessel with 29 suspected Somali pirates last week. Russian media had reported that Iranian and Pakistani fishermen were detained along with the suspected pirates.

A Russian Navy spokesman on Monday confirmed that the Iranians were released but would not elaborate. He said the fate of the suspected pirates was still under consideration.