India, April 14 -- Two merchant ships from Pakistan were allowed to cross the Strait of Hormuz and sail to Kuwait and the UAE on Monday after initially being denied permission to pass.

Two merchant ships, Shalimar and Khairpur, of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) are the first Pakistani ships to go into the Persian Gulf since the war broke out between Iran, the US and Israel.

Initially, the two ships were stopped by Iranian authorities and told to go back from the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, a PNSC official said. 

"But shortly afterwards they were allowed to cross the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf," he added.

The ship captains, Asif and Shaheen, are now on their way to Kuwait and Das Island, from where t...