TEHRAN, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday denied the arrest of three of its members by Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
"The arrest of a number of the IRGC forces (by the Saudi coastguards) in the bordering area of Saudi Arabia and Iran in Persian Gulf is a mere lie," Sardar Sanaei, the political deputy of the IRGC, was quoted as saying.
On Monday, the Saudi navy announced that it had arrested three members of the IRGC in the Persian Gulf, as they were approaching its offshore Marjan oilfield.
The announcement by the Saudi navy said that some explosives and weapons were seized from their boat.
On Tuesday, Iran's government spokesman, Mohammad baqer Nobakht, confirmed the detention of three Iranian nationals by the Saudi coastguards, saying that they were fishermen.
Iran's Interior Ministry's director general for border affairs Majid Aqa-Babaei said Saturday that Saudi Arabia's coastguard killed an Iranian fisherman in the Persian Gulf.
The incident happened after two Iranian boats fishing in the Persian Gulf strayed from their course due to big sea waves, Aqa-Babaei said.
The coastguard of Saudi Arabia opened fire on the Iranian boats and a fisherman was killed due to a bullet hitting him in the waist," he added.
