Pakistani official: Urges the U.S. to end maritime blockade of Iran to promote negotiations

A senior official of the Pakistani government told Xinhua reporters on the 22nd that Pakistan has called on the United States to end its maritime blockade of Iran to promote the currently stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations. The official said that they have received information from the U.S. side that the detained Iranian ships may be released. Pakistan also hopes that the U.S. will release the detained Iranian crew members. It is not yet clear when the detained ships and crew will be released. On the 21st, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement strongly condemning the U.S. military’s attack on an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on the 19th, and demanded that the U.S. immediately release the detained ships and personnel onboard. The U.S. Central Command said on the 19th that U.S. forces fired on an Iranian cargo ship attempting to break through the blockade and head to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, causing it to lose propulsion. U.S. Marines then boarded and took control of the ship. (Xinhua)