Pakistan’s foreign ministry says 22 crew members from the seized Iranian vessel MV Touska were transferred to Pakistan for repatriation. Later reporting said 15 of them have already returned to Iran via Pakistan, marking the latest development in a maritime dispute that began with the ship’s seizure by U.S. forces on April 19.
Pakistan says 22 crew members from the seized Iranian vessel MV Touska have been transferred to Pakistan as part of efforts to repatriate them to Iran.
The foreign ministry said the crew were flown to Pakistan on Sunday night and would be handed over to Iranian authorities. Later reporting said 15 of the 22 crew members had already returned to Iran via Pakistan.
The vessel was seized by U.S. forces on April 19 after CENTCOM said it failed to comply with warnings in the Arabian Sea. Pakistan said the return of the vessel and crew is being coordinated with Iranian and U.S. support.
The latest development adds a repatriation step to a dispute that has already raised tensions over maritime enforcement and shipping in the region. It remains unclear whether any crew members are still in transit or whether the ship itself has been formally released.
For now, the main confirmed change is that Pakistan is acting as a transit point for the crew’s return home.
Revision note
Updated with repatriation transit details.