ALBAWABA- The United States has transferred 22 Iranian crew members from the sanctioned oil tanker MT Lenore, also known as MT Davina, to Pakistan, which has facilitated their handover to Iranian authorities for repatriation.
The crew was evacuated to Pakistan as what US officials described as a "confidence-building measure," before being transferred to the Iranian diplomatic mission in Karachi for their return to Iran. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Islamabad coordinated the humanitarian operation with US, Iranian, and British authorities. The effort also included the repatriation of eight Iranian fishermen rescued separately at sea.
The transfer follows the US interception of the stateless supertanker in the Indian Ocean in early June. Around June 4–5, US Indo-Pacific Command forces boarded the vessel, which has long been under US sanctions for allegedly transporting Iranian oil through a network designed to evade international sanctions.
The tanker, capable of carrying up to two million barrels of crude oil, has reportedly operated under multiple names and flags, including a falsely registered Curaçao flag, to conceal its activities. The interdiction is part of Washington's broader campaign to enforce sanctions on Iranian oil exports and disrupt illicit maritime shipping networks operating in international waters.
Pakistan's role in facilitating the crew's return highlights its efforts to balance diplomatic relations with both the United States and Iran while avoiding direct engagement between Washington and Tehran.
US authorities have not disclosed the tanker’s current status or the fate of its cargo. Similar interdictions have previously resulted in vessels being detained, diverted, or subjected to legal proceedings.
Pakistani officials described the humanitarian transfer as a constructive step amid continuing US-Iran tensions over sanctions, maritime security, and Tehran's oil exports.
