US Repatriates 22 Crew Members of Seized Iranian Ship to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: United States military has repatriated 22 crew members of Iranian ship, which were captured by US forces, to Pakistan, Pakistan foreign Office spokesman confirmed to the media on Monday.

Pakistani spokesman in fact confirmed the report of American outlet ABC News that an Iranian ship seized by the US after it “failed to comply” with the blockade imposed by the country on Iranian ports had been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation.

“US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,“ the report quoted US Central Command 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 some 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.

Subsequently, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi 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 individuals, who were flown to Pakistan last night, will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today,” he said.

“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” Andrabi said, adding that these returns were being coordinated in tandem with the support of both 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,” he said.

Reiterating the details on X, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar observed that the developments “surely constitute an important confidence-building measure”.

Expressing Pakistan’s appreciation to the US and Iran, Dar affirmed that Islamabad remained “committed to facilitating dialogue, diplomacy, and mediation for the regional peace and security”.

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.

At the time, the US Central Command said the ship’s crew “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period”.