New Delhi [India], March 26 (ANI): After Iran's IRGC Navy reportedly turned back the Pakistan-bound container vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, Former Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs MJ Akbar on Wednesday said Iranians don't respect Pakistan as they believe the neighbouring country takes orders from America.

In an interview with ANI, Akbar said, 'Iranians may be 'friends' with Pakistan, but they never respect Pakistan...Pakistan's locus standi with Tehran is very, very low. It is America which is pushing Pakistan, and I think the American vice president needs a hotel to sleep in somewhere while the negotiations are going on.'

He contrasted this with Iran's view of India, noting Tehran respects India's national interest-based foreign policy, while it believes that Pakistan acts on American orders.

'The difference in Iran's view of Pakistan and India can be summed up. When India disagrees with Iran, Iran believes that India is doing so because there is a difference in perceptions or a difference in view or a difference in policy, which emerges out of India's national interest,' he said.

Furthermore, Akbar described Pakistan as an aggressor that has gone to war with all its neighbours. 'It has attacked Iran also,' he said.

His remarks come after Iran's Naval Commander Alireza Tangsiri informed that a merchant vessel, SELEN, bound for Karachi with food was turned back from the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Naval Commander, 'The container ship SELEN was turned back by the IRGC Navy due to failure to comply with legal protocols and lack of permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The passage of any vessel through this waterway requires full coordination with Iran's maritime authority, and this achievement would not have been possible without the backing of the noble people of Iran.'

Vessel Tracker earlier placed the position of SELEN in the Persian Gulf. The vessel is currently sailing under the flag of St Kitts & Nevis.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The strait is deep enough and wide enough to handle the world's largest crude oil tankers, and it is one of the world's most important oil chokepoints. (ANI)