The Iranian ship will also be moved to Pakistani territorial waters to return to its original owners after repairs.
A ship in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Musandam province in Oman, on 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 United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.
In a statement issued, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) said that 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 returned to Pakistani territorial waters to return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” the statement added.
FO said these returns are being coordinated with the support of the Iranian and American sides.
🔊PR No.1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
Pakistan facilitates the 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 through Hormuz be restored since declaring a ceasefire early last month. But Iranian officials have responded that the strait will remain under Iranian supervision.
Read: Trump compares US navy to “pirates” over Hormuz blockade
Some of Tehran’s ships have been seized by the United States after leaving Iranian ports, along with sanctioned Iranian container ships and oil tankers in Asian waters.
Iran has blocked almost all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, except its own, since the start of the war. Trump has imposed a separate blockade of Iranian ports.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own attacks against Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases. The US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
The war has driven up oil prices and led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Trump, who has offered shifting timelines and goals for a war that remains unpopular in the United States, has faced widespread condemnation for his comments on the conflict, even as he threatened to destroy Iran’s entire civilization last month.
Iran’s military on Monday warned U.S. forces not to enter the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the United States would begin helping free ships stranded in the Gulf by the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Trump gave few details of the plan to help ships and their crews that have been “stuck” in the vital waterway and are running out of 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 they can freely and skillfully continue 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 away from Hormuz after Trump said US would help stranded ships
Its forces will “respond harshly” to any threat, he added, telling commercial vessels and oil tankers to refrain from any movement in the absence of coordination with Iran’s military.
“We have repeatedly said that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of ships must be coordinated with the armed forces,” Ali Abdollahi, head of the forces’ unified command, said in the statement.
“We warn that any foreign armed force, especially the aggressive US military, will be attacked if it attempts to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.”
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran, and Tehran retaliated with attacks against Israel and other countries in the region that host American assets.
The war has been on hold since April 8, when Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire. Following the ceasefire, Pakistan hosted the highest-level talks between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which ended in Islamabad last weekend without an agreement, but the ceasefire held.
