United States Transfers 22 Iranian Crew From M/V Touska to Pakistan for Repatriation

The United States transferred 22 Iranian crew members from the seized Iranian container ship M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation to Iran, with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry describing the move as a “confidence-building measure.”

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the individuals were “flown to Pakistan ‘last night and will be handed over to Iranian authorities today,’” and added that “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.”

Al Jazeera

The same Pakistan statement said “The Iranian ship will also be back-loaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” and that “These returns are being coordinated in tandem with support from both the Iranian and US sides.”

US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told ABC News that “US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,” and he added that “Custody of Touska is currently being transferred back to its original ownership.”

Multiple outlets tied the handover to the maritime standoff in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, where Washington had declared a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

While Pakistan and US officials framed the transfer as de-escalatory, Iran and US accounts of the seizure remained sharply contested, with Iran describing the action as “piracy.”

The crew transfer followed a US seizure of the Touska in the Gulf of Oman after Washington accused the vessel of failing to comply with the US blockade on Iranian ports.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the ship was seized after it “failed to comply” with the US blockade on Iranian ports, and TRT World and other reports placed the interception in the Gulf of Oman in April.

Al Jazeera

The Express Tribune reported that “On February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran,” and said Iran responded with strikes on Israel and the Gulf states that host US bases, while the war was “on hold since April 8, when Pakistan mediated a two-week ceasefire.”

Reuters and other outlets in the set described the Touska as an Iranian-linked vessel boarded near Iran’s Chabahar port, with Al Jazeera adding that CENTCOM said the USS Spruance fired its “5-inch (127mm) deck gun at the vessel’s engine room, disabling it.”

Al Jazeera also described the US military account that the ship was attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz en route to Iran’s main commercial port, Bandar Abbas, and said Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit captured the vessel after “repeated warnings over six hours.”

The seizure was followed by Iran’s denunciation of the blockade and its actions in the Strait of Hormuz, including Al Jazeera’s description that Iran had effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz following the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Pakistan framed the transfer as mediation and diplomacy, saying it welcomed the “confidence-building measures” and would “continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security.”

“- Crew members to be handed over to Iran today, ship to be “backloaded” to Pakistani waters after repairs, says foreign office - US forces, who have imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports since last month, seized the vessel in Gulf of Oman last month ISLAMABAD: Twenty-two crew members of an Iranian ship seized by the US have been evacuated to Pakistan as a “confidence -building measure” by Washington, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said on Monday, adding that they will be handed over to Iranian authorities today”

Arab News

In the same reporting, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said “These returns are being coordinated in tandem with support from both the Iranian and US sides,” and it added that the Iranian ship would be “back-loaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs.”

US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins provided the operational account, telling ABC News that “US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,” and he said “Custody of Touska is currently being transferred back to its original ownership.”

Al Jazeera reported that CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said the crew had been handed over for repatriation, and it described the US military sequence that included the USS Spruance disabling the ship’s engine room.

Iran’s position in the sources remained hostile to the blockade and to the seizure, with PressTV saying the seizure was part of Washington’s “illegal naval blockade,” and with PressTV quoting that Donald Trump admitted the US Navy acts “like pirates” in implementing the blockade.

Even as the crew was transferred, Al Jazeera said tensions continued to escalate in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including Iran’s issuance of a new map and warnings to coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

While the transfer of 22 crew members to Pakistan for repatriation was consistent across multiple reports, the sources diverged on other aspects of the broader Touska episode and the number of people involved at different stages.

PressTV said 15 crew members returned home from Pakistan and arrived in Iran on Monday via the Rimdan border terminal in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, while it also said US forces attacked and seized Touska in the Gulf of Oman on April 1 and detained its 28 crew, with six previously released and seven still in Pakistan.

Caspian Post

TRT World and other reports described the US transfer as involving 22 crew members, and TRT World said US media reported the transfer Sunday citing CENTCOM, while also saying six other passengers had already been transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week.

MyIndMakers and TRT World both quoted Captain Tim Hawkins saying “six other passengers had already been transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week,” and they added that Iranian state media reported those six were family members of some of the crew.

Al Jazeera, meanwhile, described the Touska as seized on April 20 and said CENTCOM reported the USS Spruance fired a 5-inch (127mm) deck gun at the vessel’s engine room, while it also described Marines capturing the vessel after “repeated warnings over six hours.”

Even as the sources agreed on the 22-crew transfer to Pakistan, they differed on the seizure date, the number of crew detained at the outset, and the stage-by-stage breakdown of who had already been released.

The sources portrayed the crew handover as part of a larger effort to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but they also described continuing escalation around the waterway.

“Reuters A vessel that was intercepted by the United States for attempting to violate a blockade on Iranian ports has been handed over to Pakistan for return to Iran, along with its crew, according to US media reports on Sunday citing US Central Command (CENTCOM)”

Caspian Post

Pakistan said it would continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing “ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security,” and it said the ship would be “backloaded” to Pakistani territorial waters for return after repairs.

Daily Sabah

The Express Tribune reported that Trump said the US would start helping to free ships stranded in the Gulf and quoted him saying the ships have been “locked up” and are running low on food and other supplies for more than two months, while also saying, “We have told these countries that we will guide their ships safely out of these restricted waterways.”

It also reported that Iran’s unified command warned US forces to stay out of the strait and said they would “respond harshly,” with Ali Abdollahi adding, “We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands.”

Al Jazeera said tensions continued to escalate despite the release of the crew members, including Iran’s Revolutionary Guard publishing a new map on Monday outlining what it claims is an expanded zone of control in the waterway.

Al Jazeera also said Iran’s foreign ministry was reviewing Washington’s response to its “14-point proposal” aimed at ending the conflict sent via Pakistan on Friday, and it noted that Trump previously described Tehran’s offer as “unacceptable.”