Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after repairs
A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
Pakistan on Monday facilitated the transfer of 22 Iranian crew members who were held aboard the container ship MV Touska, previously seized by the US, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.
In a statement issued, the Foreign Office (FO) said the individuals were flown to Pakistan last night and will be handed over to Iranian authorities today.
“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,” it added.
“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” the statement added.
FO said these returns are being coordinated in tandem with the support of both the Iranian and US sides.
🔊PR No.1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
Pakistan Facilitates Transfer of Iranian Crew Members
🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hhe0eNVh1K— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 4, 2026
Pakistan welcomes such “confidence-building measures” and will continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security, the FO concludes.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that freedom of navigation be restored through Hormuz since declaring a ceasefire early last month. But Iranian officials have responded that the strait will remain under Iran’s supervision.
Read: Trump likens US navy to ‘pirates’ over Hormuz blockade
Some of Tehran’s vessels have been seized by the US after leaving Iranian ports, along with sanctioned container ships and Iranian tankers in Asian waters.
Iran has blocked nearly all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz apart from its own since the start of the war. Trump has imposed a separate blockade of Iranian ports.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and the Gulf states that host US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
The war has raised oil prices and led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Trump, who has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war that remains unpopular in the US, has faced widespread condemnation over his comments on the conflict, including when he threatened to destroy Iran’s entire civilisation last month.
Iran’s military warned US forces on Monday not to enter the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the United States would start helping to free ships stranded in the Gulf by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Trump gave few details of the plan to aid ships and their crews that have been “locked up” in the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies for more than two months since the conflict began.
“We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday.
The unified command of Iran’s armed forces responded by warning US forces to stay out of the strait.
Read more: Iran warns US Navy to stay clear of Hormuz after Trump says US to help stranded ships
Its forces would “respond harshly” to any threat, it added, telling commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any movement in the absence of coordination with Iran’s military.
“We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels needs to be coordinated with the armed forces,” Ali Abdollahi, the head of the forces’ unified command, said in the statement.
“We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.”
On February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran, and Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.
The war has been on hold since April 8, when Pakistan mediated a two-week ceasefire. Following the ceasefire, Pakistan hosted the highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which ended in Islamabad last weekend without agreement, but the ceasefire was held.
