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US Transfers 22 Crew From Seized Iranian Vessel MV Touska to Pakistan
The United States evacuated 22 crew members from the Iranian-flagged container vessel MV Touska to Pakistan on May 4, 2026. The crew will be handed over to Iranian authorities on Monday, and the ship will be moved to Pakistani waters after repairs. This follows the ship's seizure by U.S. forces last month amid ongoing naval tensions post-ceasefire.
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The United States has transferred 22 crew members from the Iranian-flagged container ship MV Touska to Pakistan, according to Pakistan’s foreign ministry. The crew members will be handed over to Iranian authorities on Monday.
U.S. forces seized the vessel last month off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman after it “failed to comply” with the boarding, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting of the incident. The ship is operated by IRISL, which has been hit with sanctions by Washington.
The MV Touska will be moved to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its owners after necessary repairs, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
Pakistan facilitated the transfer of the Iranian crew from the vessel seized by U.S. forces. The crew members of the Iranian ship that was seized by the U.S. after it “failed to comply” with the boarding have been evacuated to Pakistan, according to the government.
Iran’s foreign ministry has not commented in the provided sources on the specific transfer to Pakistan. No publicly released evidence documenting the basis for the vessel’s seizure or the crew’s detention appears in the source materials beyond the statement that the ship “failed to comply.”
