US evacuates 22 crew members on seized Iranian ship to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, May 4 (Reuters) - ‌The U.S. has ​evacuated ​22 crew members held aboard an Iranian container vessel to Pakistan and will hand them ‌over to Iranian authorities on Monday, Pakistan's foreign ⁠ministry said, calling the move a "confidence-building measure".

Here are some details.

• Iranian-flagged ‌Touska, part of the ‌Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) that has been hit with sanctions by Washington, was boarded and seized ​by the U.S. off the coast of Iran's Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman last month.

• ⁠The U.S. Central Command had said the ship's crew failed to comply with ​repeated warnings over six hours, and the vessel was in violation of a U.S. blockade.

• ​Iran had condemned the incident as "unlawful ‌and a violation" of international law, and demanded the immediate release of the vessel, ⁠its sailors, and their families.

• The ship will also be moved to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its owners ⁠after necessary repairs, Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Monday.

• The U.S.-Israeli war ​on Iran, which began in February, was suspended four weeks ago after the countries declared a fragile ceasefire. However, Washington and ‌Tehran have since engaged in naval confrontations and seizures of each other's commercial vessels.

• ‌Peace talks were held last month in Pakistan, which has ⁠been trying to negotiate ‌an agreement, but ​did not culminate in a deal.

(Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by YP ‌Rajesh)

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