EXCLUSIVEThe Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate has blamed US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s ports and commerical fleet for civilian deaths.At least 44 Iranian seafarers have been killed and 29 injured since the start of the United States-Israeli war on Iran, according to the head of Iran’s merchant marine union.The list of fatalities includes 22 civilian sailors, 16 fishermen and six dock workers killed between February 28 and April 1, Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate General-Secretary Saman Rezaei told Al Jazeera on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listAl Jazeera could not independently verify the list of deaths, which Rezaei said were collected by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization and members of his union. The deaths do not include members of Iran’s navy who were killed by US and Israeli forces, he said.Rezaei submitted his findings in several letters of complaint to the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) during March and April, where he attributed the deaths to “attacks by US and Israeli armies on Iranian ports and commercial fleets” across Iran’s territorial waters and the Gulf. His letters state that at least 29 Iranian seafarers have also been injured and nine are missing.The Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate is affiliated with the International Transportation Workers’ Federation (ITF) and represents workers during negoti …
