Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday that 22 crew members of the Iranian container ship MV Touska, seized by US forces, have been evacuated to Pakistan as a confidence-building measure by the United States.

The crew arrived in Pakistan on Sunday night and will be handed over to Iranian authorities today, according to a ministry statement. The ship itself will also be returned to Pakistani territorial waters for necessary repairs before being handed back to its original owners.

Islamabad stated that the repatriation is being coordinated with support from both Iranian and US sides, and welcomed such confidence-building measures, pledging to continue facilitating dialogue and diplomacy for regional peace and security.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins confirmed the transfer, adding that six other passengers—identified by Iranian state media as family members of the crew—were transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week.

The MV Touska, part of the US-sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group, was boarded and seized by US forces on April 19 off Iran's Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman for allegedly attempting to violate the US naval blockade against Iran.

Source: www.aljazeera.com