Twenty-two Iranian crew members of the vessel Lenore/Davina, seized by US forces during the Iran war, arrived in Karachi on Friday after being repatriated through Pakistan’s facilitation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the development in a post on X, saying arrangements were being finalised with Iranian missions in Pakistan for the crew’s onward return to Iran.

“We remained in close contact with the US and Iranian authorities throughout this process,” Dar said.

The crew served aboard the M/T Davina, one of several commercial vessels targeted after Washington imposed a naval blockade on April 13, interdicting oil tankers and other ships attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports.

Dar said Friday’s group was the fourth batch of Iranian crew members repatriated through Pakistan in the past two months.

“So far, we have assisted in the repatriation of over seventy (70) Iranian brethren (including today’s group of 22) through Pakistani territory,” he said, thanking Tehran for the “trust they have reposed in Pakistan.”

During the war — which began on February 28 and ended with the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding — US forces interdicted commercial vessels linked to Iran across the Persian Gulf and international waters.

Among the ships seized was the M/V Touska, a container vessel belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, boarded off Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman on April 19.

Six crew members were freed on April 29; the remaining 22 were evacuated to Pakistan on May 4 before crossing into Iran overland. The Touska was later returned to Pakistan for repairs before being handed back to its owners.

On May 15, Dar announced that 11 Pakistanis and 20 Iranians aboard vessels seized on the high seas had been successfully repatriated.

 “All individuals are in good health and high spirits,” Dar announced, adding that the welfare of Pakistanis abroad, particularly those in distress, remains the government’s highest priority.

 “All individuals have reached Bangkok from Singapore and already boarded the flight scheduled to reach Islamabad later tonight,” he added. “Our [Iranian] brothers will then be facilitated to return to their homeland.”