What happened
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday, 26 June 2026, that 22 Iranian crew members of the vessel Lenore/Davina, recently interdicted by United States authorities, had arrived safely in Karachi for their repatriation to Iran.
In a post on his official X account, Dar said the crew reached Karachi on Friday afternoon. “I am pleased to share that twenty-two (22) Iranian crew members of the vessel Lenore/Davina, recently interdicted by US authorities, have safely arrived in Karachi this afternoon,” he wrote, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.
Dar said arrangements were being finalised in close collaboration with Iranian diplomatic missions in Pakistan to ensure the crew members’ earliest and safe return home. He said Pakistan remained in close contact with both US and Iranian authorities throughout the process, and that the coordination had helped secure the crew’s safe transit.
The deputy prime minister said this was the fourth group of Iranian crew members whose repatriation Pakistan had facilitated over the previous two months, and that Pakistan had now assisted in the return of more than 70 Iranian nationals, including the latest group of 22. Iran’s consulate general in Karachi also announced the crew’s arrival, saying the sailors would return home in the coming days.
Dawn reported that the United States imposed a naval blockade during the US-Iran war from 13 April and boarded oil tankers and other vessels trying to enter or leave Iranian ports. It said the M/T Davina was one of the vessels seized in an overnight interdiction by American forces, and that Tehran has described the seizure as illegal. Pakistan earlier facilitated the transfer of 22 Iranian crew members from the seized container ship M/V Touska, as covered in KhabarWire’s report on that evacuation.
Why it matters
The handover was the latest in a series of humanitarian gestures Pakistan has carried out through its territory as it mediated between Washington and Tehran. According to The Express Tribune, Iran and the United States reached a 14-point understanding mediated by Pakistan that entered into force on 18 June after being signed electronically by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump. The repatriations have formed part of the confidence-building steps around that process.
What is still uncertain
The reports did not say exactly when the remaining crew members would leave Pakistan or by which route they would cross into Iran. They also did not specify the total number of Iranian sailors still held or awaiting return from US-interdicted vessels, or give a full accounting of the vessel Lenore/Davina itself. The account of the interdiction and the legal status of the seizure remain contested, with Tehran calling it illegal while Washington has not commented in the reports reviewed.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 2026-06-26.
- Associated Press of Pakistan — "Pakistan facilitates repatriation of 22 more Iranian crew members, says DPM Dar"26 June 2026 · Dar's statement that the 22 crew of the Lenore/Davina reached Karachi and the fourth-batch total.
- Dawn — "Another group of Iranian sailors from vessel seized by US arrives in Pakistan"26 June 2026 · The US naval blockade, the seizure of the M/T Davina and the earlier repatriations.
- Geo News — "22 Iranian sailors from US-interdicted vessel reach Pakistan: DPM Dar"26 June 2026 · The crew's arrival in Karachi and the Iranian consulate's statement.
