Another 15 crew members of US-seized Iranian ship released: Media
Tehran: Fifteen of the remaining 22 crew members of an Iranian container ship seized by the United States last month have entered Iran, media reported.
The Iranian-flagged vessel, the Touska, was boarded and seized by US forces off the coast of Iran’s southeastern port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman on April 19 under a US naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping.
Semi-official Fars news agency said on Monday that the ship had a total of 28 crew members, who were taken into US custody.
It added that six were released earlier, Xinhua news agency reported.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency also reported their arrival.
The United States imposed restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following failed post-ceasefire negotiations with Iran in Islamabad on April 11-12, according to earlier reports.
The cargo ship seized by US forces was part of a fleet linked to Chinese ports and suspected supply routes, a media report said.
The M/V Touska, an Iranian-flagged container vessel, is tied to a network of ships that frequently sail to China and have been linked to transporting materials with potential military use, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The ship was intercepted after attempting to breach a US naval blockade and was later boarded by American forces following warning shots that disabled its engine, according to reports.
Shipping data cited by The Wall Street Journal showed the vessel had visited the southern Chinese port of Zhuhai twice in the weeks before it was seized.
The Touska is controlled by a sanctioned Iranian company accused of transporting items for Tehran’s ballistic missile programme, the report said.
US officials have not disclosed what the ship was carrying.
Analysts said the attempt to cross an active blockade suggests the cargo may have been important.