Iran calls U.S. rescue of sailors humanitarian gesture

TEHRAN, Jan. 8 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast described the U.S. Navy’s move to rescue 13 Iranian fishermen held by pirates as a “positive” measure and a “humanitarian gesture.” U.S. officials announced on Friday that 13 Iranian fishermen had been rescued by a U.S. Navy destroyer on Thursday, more than 40 days after their boat was commandeered by suspected Somali pirates in the northern Arabian Sea, AP reported.