Pakistan said Monday that it had facilitated the transfer of 22 crew members from an Iranian ship, describing the move as a “confidence-building measure” coordinated with the United States and Iran.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the crew, who had been held aboard the MV Touska after its capture by the U.S. Navy, were flown to Pakistan on Sunday and would be handed over to the Iranian authorities on Monday.
The exact details of the transfer, including how the crew members would be returned to Iran, were unclear. The Pakistani military and government, and the U.S. embassy in Pakistan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But it was the latest act of mediation by Pakistan, which for weeks has shuttled messages between U.S. and Iranian officials, helped broker a cease-fire between the two sides and hosted them in its capital for high-level talks. Last week, Pakistan conveyed Iran’s latest proposal to end the war to the United States, though President Trump said he was not “satisfied” by it.
The Touska, an Iranian-flagged container ship placed under sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2020, was seized by U.S. forces in the Arabian Sea on April 19.
Mr. Trump said the ship had tried to evade the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports that went into effect a week prior. A U.S. Navy destroyer repeatedly warned the ship to stop before firing on the engine room and disabling it, U.S. Central Command said.
Iran’s military condemned the seizure as an act of “armed piracy” and vowed to retaliate, but said it was waiting to protect the ship’s crew and some of their family members.
“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement on social media.
The transfer comes as tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz, where recent attacks have disrupted shipping and drawn an intensified U.S. response.
President Trump said the United States would begin an effort on Monday to help “guide” stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr. Trump did not make clear in his social media post on Sunday what that meant. But a statement issued by the U.S. Central Command indicated that the American role would involve coordinating safe traffic among the stranded ships rather than escorting them.
The operation would apply to “neutral and innocent” countries affected by the Iran war, Mr. Trump said. Any interference in the program would be dealt with forcefully, he said. U.S. Central Command said military support will include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members.
Initial reaction from Iran on Sunday was muted. Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the national security commission of Iran’s parliament, said that any interference in the strait would be seen as a cease-fire violation. IRIB, the state-run broadcaster, characterized the announcement as part of “Trump’s delirium.”
Before the U.S. effort was announced, a tanker said that it was attacked by “unknown projectiles” in the Strait of Hormuz, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations organization said. The vessel reported being struck around 11:40 p.m. Sunday while off the coast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. All crew members were reported safe.
A second vessel, an unidentified cargo ship, reported it was attacked by multiple small craft east of the strait, near Sirik, Iran, the British military said. The vessel departed and no injuries were reported.
Both the United States and Iran are blocking the transit of ships through the waterway, which remains a critical issue in peace talks. Mr. Trump told reporters over the weekend that Iran’s new proposal carried by Pakistani mediators was probably insufficient, but added in a social media post on Sunday that the negotiations were ongoing and “could lead to something very positive for all.”
Elian Peltier is The Times’s bureau chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, based in Islamabad.
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