Twenty-two crew members from the seized Iranian ship MV Touska have been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation.The crew members of an Iranian ship that was seized by the United States after it “failed to comply” with the US blockade on Iranian ports have been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.“As a confidence-building measure by the United States of America, twenty-two crew members held aboard the seized Iranian container ship, ‘MV Touska’, have been evacuated to Pakistan,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe individuals were flown to Pakistan on Sunday night and will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today, the statement read.The US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February, was partly halted four weeks ago after the countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire mediated by Pakistan. However, Washington and Tehran have since engaged in naval confrontations and seizures of commercial vessels.“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” Islamabad said, adding that the returns are being coordinated with the support of both the Iranian and US sides.“Pakistan welcomes such confidence-building measures and will continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security,” said the Foreign Ministry’s statement.There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is associated with the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published a report on the Pakistan’s foreign ministry’s announcement.US out …
