Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian crew members aboard vessels seized by the United States on the high seas had been successfully repatriated.
In a statement shared on X, Dar said all the rescued individuals were in good health and high spirits. He added that the group had travelled from Singapore to Bangkok and boarded a flight scheduled to arrive in Islamabad later in the night, while the Iranian nationals would subsequently be facilitated for their return home.
Dar said Pakistan had coordinated with Singaporean authorities last week to ensure the welfare and repatriation of the crew members after the vessels were seized near Singaporean waters.
He also thanked Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow for their support in the repatriation process.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. The strategic waterway has faced severe disruptions since February after Tehran restricted maritime movement in response to military strikes.
According to reports, US forces boarded and seized the M/V Touska container ship on April 19 near Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel belonged to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines group, which is under US sanctions.
Six crew members were released later in April, while the remaining 22 were evacuated to Pakistan earlier this month before travelling onward to Iran through a land border crossing.
In a separate operation, US forces also seized the M/T Majestic X oil tanker in the Indian Ocean on April 23.