ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said he has requested Singapore’s assistance in facilitating the welfare and repatriation of detained seafarers.
In a post on X, Dar said he spoke with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan regarding 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers aboard vessels seized by US authorities and currently near Singaporean waters.
“I requested Singapore’s support in facilitating the welfare and repatriation of 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers,” he said.
Dar also said he had spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, adding that Pakistan remains in close coordination with Iran on the matter. “Pakistan also stands ready to facilitate the safe repatriation of Iranian nationals to Iran via Pakistan,” he added.
He expressed appreciation for Singapore’s cooperation and support, saying the Foreign Office and relevant authorities are coordinating with US officials and others to ensure the safety, welfare, and early return of the nationals involved.
On Monday, Pakistan facilitated the transfer of 22 Iranian crew members held aboard the container ship MV Touska, seized by the US. In a statement posted on X on Monday, the ministry said the individuals were flown to Pakistan “last night and will be handed over to Iranian authorities today.”
“As a confidence-building measure by the United States of America, twenty-two crew members held aboard the seized Iranian container ship, ‘MV Touska’, have been evacuated to Pakistan,” it added.
“The Iranian ship will also be back-loaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” the statement added. MOFA said these returns were coordinated in tandem with support from both the Iranian and US sides.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran, and Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.
The war has been on hold since April 8, when Pakistan mediated a two-week ceasefire. Following the ceasefire, Pakistan hosted the highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which ended in Islamabad last weekend without agreement, but the ceasefire was held.
Despite the ceasefire, the US started intercepting Iranian ships.
Iran later blocked nearly all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz apart from its own as Trump imposed a separate blockade of Iranian ports. The closure of the Strait, a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, resulted in a phenomenal rise in global oil prices.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the US would start helping to free ships stranded in the Gulf. Trump gave few details of the plan to aid ships and their crews that have been “locked up” in the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies for more than two months.
The unified command of Iran’s armed forces responded by warning US forces to stay out of the strait. It said the Iranian forces would “respond harshly” to any threat, asking commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any movement without coordination with Iran’s military.
On Tuesday, President Trump announced he would briefly pause an operation to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing “great progress” toward a comprehensive agreement with Iran as well as the “request of Pakistan and other Countries”.
Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had outlined the effort that began on Monday to escort stranded tankers out of the Gulf. The strait has been virtually shut since the conflict began, blocking some 20% of world oil supplies and igniting a global energy crisis.
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the campaign…Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.” He wrote on Truth Social.
