A vessel intercepted by the United States for attempting to breach a blockade on Iranian ports has been handed over to Pakistan, along with its crew, for repatriation to Iran, US media reported on Sunday, citing US Central Command (CENTCOM).
According to the ABC News, CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said that US troops had completed the handing over of 22 crew members of the ship the M/V Touska to Pakistan where they would be repatriated to Iran.
He also added that six other passengers already were handed over to a regional country to be repatriated earlier last week.
The state media of Iran reported that those six were relatives of some of the crew members of the vessel but no independent verification of this fact has been given.
The US Central Command has not made an official statement to confirmations about the most recent transfer.
Equally, the Pakistani or Iranian governments have not officially confirmed the alleged repatriation procedure up to now.
On April 19, the US naval forces reportedly seized the vessel Touska which allegedly refused to respond to instructions associated with enforcement of a blockade on Iranian ports.
The circumstances under which the interception took place are not fully spelt out in official statements and the legal position of the ship and its cargo is uncertain.
Although the operation, which was carried out by the US, has been described by the US authorities as part of the ongoing maritime enforcement actions in the region, Iranian officials have previously criticised such actions, terming them violations of international maritime norms.
The case is still in progress and there is little official confirmation made by the concerned countries and information is still being brought out through media coverage and sources in the region.
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