Pakistan secures repatriation of 11 nationals, 20 Iranians from US-seized vessels

Pakistan has secured the repatriation of 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian nationals who were aboard vessels seized by the United States (US) in international waters.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the development on Friday, confirming that all 31 individuals are in good health. The citizens traveled from Singapore to Bangkok before boarding a flight to Islamabad.

“I am pleased to share that we have been successful in the repatriation of 11 Pakistani nationals, alongside 20 nationals of our brotherly country Iran, through Singapore, who were aboard vessels seized in the high seas by the United States,” Dar stated on X.

Dar credited the governments of Singapore, Thailand, and the US for facilitating the repatriation process. He acknowledged cooperation from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and thanked Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for his support.

The operation follows a separate incident earlier this month, where Pakistan facilitated the evacuation of 22 Iranian crew members from the MV Touska, an Iranian container vessel seized by US forces in the Gulf of Oman.

According to the Foreign Office, the crew members were flown to Pakistan before being handed over to Iranian authorities.

Foreign Office officials state that repeated humanitarian and evacuation efforts are part of an effort to position Islamabad as an intermediary during instability in the Strait of Hormuz.

Islamabad recently increased diplomatic contacts to prevent maritime confrontations between the US and Iran from disrupting regional trade routes and energy supplies.

Last month, Islamabad hosted direct talks between Iran and the US, which did not result in a breakthrough. Mistrust between the two nations stopped two subsequent attempts to host a second round of discussions.

Pakistan did convince US President Donald Trump to extend a ceasefire indefinitely to allow diplomatic processes to continue. While Iran and the US have exchanged multiple proposals through Pakistan, the communications have not broken the diplomatic stalemate.