Crew of 22 from US-seized Iranian ship Touska arrives in Pakistan — foreign ministry

ISLAMABAD, May 4. /TASS/. Over twenty crew members of the Iranian cargo ship Touska, seized by the United States in the Gulf of Oman, have arrived in Pakistan and will be handed to Iran on Monday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said. "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. The individuals, who were flown to Pakistan last night, will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on X. "The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs. These returns are being coordinated in tandem with the support of both the Iranian and US sides," the statement added. The ministry said that "Pakistan welcomes such confidence-building measures and will continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy". The US military has transferred the twenty-two crew members of the vessel Touska to Pakistan for repatriation and returned control of the vessel to its owner, a representative of United States Central Command previously told ABC News. On April 20, President Donald Trump stated that US military forces had seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman because it had attempted to evade a naval blockade. US military officials stated that the Iranian-flagged ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings for six hours, and the missile destroyer USS Spruance fired several 127-millimeter Mark 45 rounds at the ship’s engine room, and then United States Marines boarded the vessel.