Pakistan, Iran Repatriate Vessel Crews as Back-Channel Talks Continue
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday that Islamabad is repatriating eleven Pakistani citizens and twenty Iranian nationals from vessels seized in the high seas by the United States. The repatriation is being handled alongside ongoing Pakistani back-channel mediation with both Tehran and Washington. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi separately told reporters in New Delhi that Tehran has “no trust” in the US and will negotiate only if Washington “is serious”.
Pakistan’s mediation track has been the most consistent diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran since the war began. The US began a blockade of Iranian ports on 13 April; US Central Command has redirected 75-78 commercial vessels and disabled four since. Iran has imposed a counter-blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, regulating non-Iranian transits via Iranian-approved corridors. Trump told reporters on Friday he was considering whether to lift US sanctions on Chinese refineries buying Iranian oil — a decision he said would come “over the next few days” and which would materially change the economics of the wartime financial squeeze on Tehran.