A Venezuelan-owned Boeing 747, operated by Venezuela's state-owned Emtrasur cargo line, taxis on the runway after landing in the Ambrosio Taravella airport in Cordoba, Argentina, June 6, 2022. (SEBASTIAN BORSERO / FILE / AP)
TEHRAN – Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday confirmed the release of the Iranian crew members of the Venezuelan plane seized by Argentina in June.
"The Argentinean judge eventually … issued an order for the release of the Iranian crew members and the removal of their exit ban," the ministry's spokesman Nasser Kanaani was quoted as saying on the ministry's website.
The release of the Iranian crew members followed about four months of diplomatic efforts and a joint legal and consular battle by Iran and Venezuela, Kanaani said, adding that they are heading back to Iran.
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According to Iran's Press TV, a Boeing 747 cargo plane, sold by Iranian company Mahan Air to Venezuelan airline Emtrasur, had been grounded since it landed in Argentina on June 8 over alleged violations of US sanctions.