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Crew members of US-seized Iranian vessel arrive home
The crew of an Iranian commercial vessel that had been seized by the United States in the Gulf of Oman, were repatriated to the country on Monday through a border crossing in southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan.
The 15 Iranian crew members of Touska vessel had earlier been transferred to Pakistan.
“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,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
The individuals had been flown to Pakistan on Sunday night, the statement read.
“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.
Family members of the vessel’s crew had previously returned to Iran.
US forces attacked and seized Touska in the Gulf of Oman on April 19, detaining its 28 crew and claiming the ship had violated the so-called naval blockade.
Six crew members of the ship were previously released. Seven others are still in Pakistan.
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.