Iranian ships will also be loaded back into Pakistani territorial waters to return to their original owners after repairs
A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
Pakistan on Monday facilitated the transfer of 22 Iranian crew members who were kept on board the container ship MV Touska, previously seized by the US, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.
In a statement issued, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOF) said the individuals were flown to Pakistan last night and will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today.
“As a confidence-building measure by the United States, twenty-two crew members kept on board the seized Iranian container ship, ‘MV Touska’, have been evacuated to Pakistan,” it added.
“The Iranian ship will also be loaded back into Pakistani territorial waters to return it to its original owners after necessary repairs,” the statement added.
The FO said that these returns are being coordinated in tandem with support from both the Iranian and American sides.
🔊 PR no. 1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
Pakistan facilitates transfer of Iranian crew members
🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hhe0eNVh1K— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) 4 May 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 be restored through Hormuz since he declared a ceasefire early last month. But Iranian officials have responded that the strait remains under Iranian supervision.
Read: Trump compares US Navy to ‘pirates’ over Hormuz blockade
Some of Tehran’s ships have been seized by the US after leaving Iranian ports, along with sanctioned container ships and Iranian 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 US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. Iran responded with its own attacks on Israel and the Gulf states that host US bases. US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
The war has raised oil prices and led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for about 20% of global shipments of oil and liquid natural gas.
Trump, who has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war that remains unpopular in the United States, has faced widespread condemnation over his comments on the conflict, including when he threatened to destroy Iran’s entire civilization last month.
Iran’s military on Monday warned US forces against entering the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the US would begin helping free ships stranded in the Gulf by the US-Israel war against Iran.
Trump gave few details on the plan to help ships and their crews that have been “locked in” in the vital waterways and lacking food and other supplies for more than two months since the conflict began.
“We have told these countries that we will take their ships safely out of these restricted waterways so that they can freely and competently go about their business,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website 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 says US must help stranded ships
Its forces would “react strongly” to any threat, it added, and told commercial ships 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 vessels must be coordinated with the armed forces,” Ali Abdollahi, the head of the forces’ joint command, said in the statement.
“We warn that all foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, will be attacked if they intend 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 on Israel and other regional countries that host American assets.
The war has been on hold since April 8, when Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire. After the cease-fire, Pakistan hosted the highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which ended in Islamabad last weekend without a deal, but the cease-fire was held.
