ISLAMABAD, May 5: Fifteen crew members of the Iranian vessel Touska seized by the United States were handed over to Iranian authorities at a border crossing point in Gwadar district of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Monday, officials told Xinhua.
The transfer was carried out at the Gabd-Rimdan crossing point in the coastal district bordering Iran, Deputy Commissioner of Gwadar Naqeebullah Kakar confirmed.
The crew members were formally handed over to Iranian officials after necessary arrangements and coordination between the two sides, Kakar told Xinhua.
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The 15 crew members are part of a group of 22 Iranian nationals who were earlier evacuated to Pakistan after being held aboard a container vessel seized by the United States last month.
The remaining crew members are expected to be repatriated in the next phase, security sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier said that the country facilitated the transfer of the crew members as a confidence-building measure by the United States, under which they were flown to Pakistan overnight for onward repatriation to Iran.
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