Crew of Iranian ship seized by US forces evacuated to Pakistan, gov’t says

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The crew members of an Iranian ship that was seized by the United States after it “failed to comply” with the US blockade on Iranian ports have been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

“As a confidence-building measure by the United States of America, twenty-two crew members held aboard the seized Iranian container ship, ‘MV Touska’, have been evacuated to Pakistan,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

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The individuals were flown to Pakistan on Sunday night and will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today, the statement read.

The ⁠US-Israeli war on Iran, which began ⁠in February, was partly halted four weeks ago after the countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire mediated by Pakistan. However, Washington and Tehran have since engaged in naval confrontations and seizures of commercial vessels.

“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” Islamabad said, adding that the returns are being coordinated with the support of both the Iranian and US sides.

“Pakistan welcomes such confidence-building measures and will continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security,” said the Foreign Ministry’s statement.

There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is associated with the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published a report on the Pakistan’s foreign ministry’s announcement.

US outlet ABC had reported on Sunday that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) aided in the transfer.

“US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,” the report quoted CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins as saying.

“Six other passengers were already transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week,” he said.

According to the report, Iranian state media identified the six as family members of several of the crew.

“Custody of Touska is currently being transferred back to its original ownership after the ship was intercepted and seized when attempting to violate the US naval blockade against Iran last month,” Hawkins said.

The ship was boarded and seized by US forces on April 19. The small container ship, which was part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group that has been hit with US sanctions, was boarded off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman.

CENTCOM had said at that time that ship’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over six hours, and the vessel was in violation of a US blockade.

Iran had condemned the incident as “unlawful and a violation” ⁠of international law, and demanded ⁠the immediate release of the vessel, its sailors, and their families.

The Pakistan’s foreign ministry’s announcement comes as tensions continue to soar over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s military said on Monday that it will attack US forces if they attempt to approach or enter the vital waterway, after US President Donald Trump announced a naval mission, dubbed Project Freedom, to “guide” stranded ships out of the Strait.