Washington, May 04 (V7N) — The United States has transferred the crew members of an Iranian vessel seized last month in the Gulf of Oman to Pakistan, from where they are expected to be repatriated to Iran, according to US Central Command.

A spokesperson for United States Central Command (Centcom), Captain Tim Hawkins, confirmed that 22 crew members of the vessel were handed over to Pakistani authorities on Monday.

He stated that the ship, identified as MV Tusker, had been seized on April 20 while allegedly attempting to violate a US-imposed naval blockade. “The vessel is now in the process of being returned to its original owner,” he added.

Earlier, Centcom also transferred six other individuals from the vessel to an undisclosed country in the region. They are believed to be family members of the crew.

Iran had strongly condemned the seizure of the vessel, describing the incident as an act of “piracy,” further intensifying tensions between Washington and Tehran.

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