Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that the “confidence-building measure” was supported by both sides.
The Pakistani Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that as a “confidence-building measure” by the United States, 22 crew members on an Iranian ship that was seized by US forces had been evacuated to Pakistan.
The statement came hours after American outlet ABC News reported 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 on the social media platform X, “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.”
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