External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that 21 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were stranded in Iran for several months, have been released. The minister said that the fishermen will be repatriated to Chennai in batches starting August 3.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month to ask the Indian embassy in Tehran to try bringing the fishermen back, PTI reported. The fishermen were working on boats belonging to Iranians for three months, he said.

The 21 fishermen – eight from Kanyakumari district, seven from Tirunelveli district and six from Thoothukudi district – lost hope of receiving a fair remuneration from their employers, and asked to be returned to India, a request which was turned down, the chief minister said.