US hands over seized Iranian ship, crew to Pakistan amid Hormuz tensions - US media report

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Published May 04, 2026 | 11:30 AM

US hands over seized Iranian ship, crew to Pakistan amid Hormuz tensions - US media report

NEW YORK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th May, 2026) An Iranian cargo ship that was seized by the United States last month has been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation to Iran, ABC news reported, citing US Central Command (CETCOM) Spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins.

“Today, US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,” ABC News quoted Capt. Hawkins as saying.

Hawkins added that six other passengers had already been transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week.

Iranian state media reported that the six individuals were family members of some of the crew.

US President Donald Trump claimed that Iranian vessel Touska was hit by the US military after it refused to follow Washington’s orders to withdraw from its planned passage through the Strait of Hormuz on Apr. 19. The US, which has been imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports since last month, boarded the ship and seized it in the Gulf of Oman.

The move spiked tensions between Washington and Tehran, which have been locked in conflict since February when the US and Israeli forces launched surprising attacks against Iran.

APP/ift