ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has evacuated nine sailors from a vessel anchored in Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas and is arranging their return home, the country’s ambassador to Iran said on Wednesday, as regional conflict continues to disrupt travel and maritime activity across the Gulf.
Ambassador Muhammad Mudassir Tipu said Pakistani officials had been working to assist the 15 sailors after reports that the crew had sought help from the embassy while their ship remained docked in the Iranian port.
The evacuation comes as hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran have triggered widespread security concerns and disrupted flights, shipping routes and border crossings across the region, complicating travel for thousands of foreign nationals.
“I am delighted to share that last night we managed to transfer nine of our sailors from their ship to Bandar Abbas,” Tipu wrote on X.
“Six of them decided to stay on the ship on their own volition,” he added.
Tipu said the embassy had remained in contact with the sailors, their families and their parent company in Pakistan while coordinating efforts to bring them home.
“I spoke to some of them on phone today to enquire about their well-being,” the ambassador said, adding that the nine sailors would be sent to Pakistan.
He also thanked officials involved in the operation, including Counsellor Khalid Tashfeen and Shahid Kashmiri, who helped facilitate the evacuation despite “significant challenges.”
Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main commercial port on the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key transit point for evacuations and shipping disruptions as tensions escalate in the Gulf.
