Iranian ship, crew seized by US transferred to Pakistan: report
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
An Iranian ship that was seized by the United States after it “failed to comply” with the blockade imposed by the country on Iranian ports has been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation, American outlet ABC News reported on Monday. “US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,“ the report quoted US Central Command Spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins as saying. “Six other passengers were already transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week,” he said. According to the report, Iranian state media identified the six as family members of some of the crew. “Custody of Touska is currently being transferred back to its original ownership after the ship was intercepted and seized when attempting to violate the US naval blockade against Iran last month,” Hawkins said. The ship was boarded and seized by US forces on April 19. The small container ship, which was part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group that has been hit with US sanctions, was boarded off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman. At the time, the US Central Command said the ship’s crew “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period”. “American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade,” it said. Iran’s foreign ministry had condemned the incident as “unlawful and a violation” of international law and demanded the immediate release of the vessel, its sailors and their families. Iran’s military had said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of “armed piracy”. Hormuz, a key shipping lane off the coast of Iran, has been virtually blocked by Tehran since the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28. Some vessels attempting to transit the Strait have reported being fired on, and Iran seized several other ships. Last month, the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports. US Pres