The United States has transferred 22 crew members from the Iranian container ship Touska to Pakistan, a step Islamabad frames as a "confidence-building measure" amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. The Touska was seized by US forces on April 20 in the Gulf of Oman after Washington accused it of violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports, with the USS Spruance disabling its engine by fire. Iran denounced the seizure as "piracy." Despite the crew's release, hostilities persist: President Trump announced "Project Freedom" to escort commercial vessels, Iran released a new map claiming expanded control zones, and conflicting reports emerged of Iranian missiles striking a US warship, which Washington denied. Pakistan, mediating between the US and Iran, hosted direct talks last month that ended without a breakthrough, and Iran's 14-point peace proposal was deemed "unacceptable" by Trump.