Correction (1 November 2026): An earlier version of this article presented this transfer as news from 1 November 2026. The transfer in fact took place in early May 2026: Pakistan's Foreign Office statement on the evacuation is dated 4 May 2026, following the seizure of the MV Touska on 19 April 2026. The events described below took place then, not this weekend. DailyByte regrets the error.

Pakistan says 22 crew members from the seized Iranian container ship MV Touska have been evacuated to Pakistan for repatriation, in what Islamabad describes as a confidence-building measure between the United States and Iran.

Pakistan's Foreign Office said the crew were flown to Pakistan on Sunday night and would be handed over to the Iranian authorities. IRNA later reported that 15 of the 22 sailors had crossed into Iran through the Rimdan border terminal. Six other people aboard, identified as family members of the crew, had already been transferred to a regional country last week.

How the ship was seized

The small container ship, part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines group, which is under United States sanctions, was boarded and seized by US forces on 19 April off Iran's Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman. US Central Command said the crew had failed to comply with repeated warnings over six hours and that the vessel was in violation of a US naval blockade. Iran condemned the seizure as unlawful.

US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told ABC News that US forces had completed the transfer of the 22 crew members to Pakistan for repatriation, and that custody of the vessel itself was being transferred back to its original ownership.

What happens to the ship

Pakistan's Foreign Office said the Iranian ship would also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs, with the returns coordinated with both sides' support. Islamabad said it welcomed such confidence-building measures and would continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing mediation efforts for regional peace and security.

Pakistan has positioned itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, and the crew transfer is a rare practical step involving both sides.