NEW YORK, May 4. /TASS/. An Iranian cargo vessel, seized by the United States last month, has been transferred to Pakistan from where the crew will return home, US Central Command told ABC News.
"Today, US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation," a spokesperson for CENTCOM said. Last week, six other passengers were "transferred to a regional country for repatriation," he added. Custody of the vessel "is currently being transferred back to its original ownership," CENTCOM specified.
On April 20, US President Donald Trump stated that the American military had seized an Iranian cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman for trying to breach the naval blockade. According to the US military, the crew of the Touska, was sailing under the flag of Iran, had ignored six hours’ worth of warnings from the US after which the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fired several rounds at the vessel’s engine room using the 127mm Mark 45 gun. The ship was later boarded by US Marines.