Iranian sailors detained during the conflict with the US have already been transferred to the consulate in Pakistan. Their journey home may be a signal to ease the tension.
Tehran announced on Friday that 22 Iranian crew members from a tanker seized by the United States during the recent armed conflict were transferred to the Iranian consulate in Pakistan. This was reported by the French news agency AFP, which is referred to by TASR.
According to the state agency IRNA, the return of the Iranian sailors was brokered by Pakistan, which is Iran’s eastern neighbor and also plays the role of mediator in the talks between Tehran and Washington. The crew was handed over to Iranian diplomats in the Pakistani port city of Karachi and should return to Iran in the coming days.
Obscure tanker
Neither the IRNA nor the Iranian authorities released the name of the oil tanker, nor did they specify the exact circumstances of its detention, including the place and time. AFP reminds that these details are not officially known yet.
The Iranian Consulate General in Karachi confirmed the arrival of the sailors and announced that all 22 crew members were due to return home soon. No further information about their condition or conditions of detention has been released.
Conflict in the United States
The development surrounding the garrison comes several months after a major escalation of tensions between the US, Israel and Iran. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iranian territory, which killed the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several high-ranking officials of the regime.
Tehran then responded with missile and drone attacks on several countries in the region and proceeded to close the Strait of Hormuz. About a fifth of the global supply of oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through there, which immediately raised concerns about the stability of energy markets.
Naval blockades
In response to Iran’s actions, the US military imposed a blockade on maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports. As part of these measures, they detained several vessels linked to Iran and attacked others with missiles.
The parties involved agreed in mid-June to end several months of hostilities. The agreement also includes the gradual lifting of mutual maritime blockades, which also includes the current release of the Iranian crew of the detained tanker.
