20 Iranian sailors return home after Pakistan secures release from US-seized tanker

ISLAMABAD: Twenty Iranian sailors have returned to Iran after Pakistan facilitated their release from a tanker seized by US authorities over sanctions violations, Iranian officials said. The sailors were among crew members of the oil tanker “Majestic X:, which was boarded by the US Navy on April 23 in connection with alleged sanctions breaches. Eleven Pakistani crew members were also among those released. Officials said that Pakistan coordinated with Singapore, Thailand and US authorities to facilitate the return of the crew. The sailors were brought from Singapore to Islamabad, where Pakistani nationals returned home, while the Iranian crew departed for Tehran on Thursday. Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for what he described as “tireless humanitarian efforts” in securing the release. In a post on X, the ambassador expressed gratitude to the Pakistani leadership and relevant institutions for their role in the process. “I sincerely appreciate the humanitarian and benevolent action of the Government of Pakistan to pursue the release of 20 Iranian sailors who were in a precarious situation due to the seizure of their ship,” he wrote. https://twitter.com/IranAmbPak/status/2057375871506567224?s=20 He added that the sailors had been transferred from Singapore to Islamabad following diplomatic efforts before being repatriated to Iran. The development comes amid heightened regional tensions over oil shipments and sanctions enforcement, and marks the second reported mediation effort by Pakistan in recent weeks involving Iranian nationals. The post 20 Iranian sailors return home after Pakistan secures release from US-seized tanker appeared first on HUM News English.