Iran has released on Thursday a Marshall-Islands flagged container ship and its crew which were seized last week in one of the world’s major oil shipping lanes.

Iran has released on Thursday a Marshall-Islands flagged container ship and its crew which were seized last week in one of the world's major oil shipping lanes.

An informed source at the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization (IPMO) told Press TV on Thursday that the Maersk Tigris ship has been released.

Earlier, official IRNA news agency quoted an informed source as saying the Iranian Ports and Shipping Organization would issue a statement in a few hours on the details of the release of the Maersk Tigris.

The vessel was diverted on April 28 by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

Since the seizure of the vessel, several Iranian officials have said the case was a purely commercial affair.

A day after the ship was impounded, Iran’s Foreign Ministry defended the move as legal saying the vessel was seized based on a court decision.

IPMO said on the same day that the seizure of Maersk Tigris was based on a court ruling issued on March 16, which reportedly came after a plaintiff sued the Maersk Line over unpaid debts.