Asia

Home page

Asia

Iranian tanker Grace 1 leaving Gibraltar after month-long arrest - UPDATED

19 August 2019 02:09 (UTC +04:00)

Gibraltar authorities rejected a US request to extend the seizure of the Grace 1 tanker, citing differences in US and European sanctions against Iran. Gibraltar reportedly released the vessel after receiving assurances from Tehran that the ship would not deliver its cargo to Syria, APA reports quoting sputniknews.

Iran's Ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, confirmed on Sunday that the Grace 1 oil tanker set course for international waters.

"At this juncture, we confirm that, finally, seven days after stopping in Gibraltar waters, the Iranian oil tanker began to move toward international waters. The overwhelming attention of global and regional politicians and public opinion reflects the important political, international and legal consequences of the actions taken in these few days," Baeidinejad wrote in Twitter.

***

Earlier this week, the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 was given permission to leave Gibraltar after spending a month in detention after it was seized by UK marines, APA reports quoting sputniknews.

Watch Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 leaving Gibraltar, a month after it was formally detained on suspicion of breaching EU sanctions against Syria.

Commenting on the issue, acting Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell claimed that the vessel was detained at the request of the United States, which has long been seeking to curtail Iranian oil exports.

The Gibraltar government later confirmed that Washington had made a last-minute request to halt the release of the seized Iranian vessel on a number of allegations.