ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Friday that another group of 22 Iranian crew members from a tanker previously seized by the United States has arrived in Pakistan, as the country continues to facilitate the repatriation of Iranian nationals.
The crew members served aboard the M/T Davina, a tanker intercepted by US forces during the US-Iran war. According to Dar, arrangements are being finalised in coordination with Iranian diplomatic missions in Pakistan to ensure the sailors’ safe and early return to Iran.
In a post on X, Dar said Pakistan remained in close contact with both US and Iranian authorities throughout the process. He added that the latest arrivals constitute the fourth group of Iranian crew members repatriated through Pakistan over the past two months.
He noted that Pakistan has so far assisted more than 70 Iranian nationals, including the latest group of 22, in returning home, while thanking Tehran for the trust it has placed in Islamabad.
During the US-Iran conflict, which began on February 28 and ended with the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), US forces imposed a naval blockade and intercepted commercial vessels linked to Iran, both in the Persian Gulf and in international waters.
On April 13, US forces seized the M/T Davina during an overnight operation while targeting oil tankers and other vessels attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports.
In a separate incident, US forces boarded 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 (IRISL), which is subject to US sanctions.
Six crew members from the Touska were released on April 29, while the remaining 22 were transferred to Pakistan on May 4 before returning to Iran through a land border crossing. The vessel itself was later brought to Pakistan for repairs before being handed back to its owners.
Earlier, on May 15, Dar announced the successful repatriation of 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian nationals who had been aboard vessels seized by the United States on the high seas.
At the time, he said all those repatriated were in good health and high spirits, reaffirming that the welfare of Pakistanis abroad, particularly those facing distress, remains the government’s highest priority.
Dar had also stated that all the individuals had travelled from Singapore to Bangkok before boarding a flight to Islamabad, from where the Iranian nationals were facilitated in returning to their homeland.