Iran's ambassador to the UK confirms Grace 1 tanker has been released
(Baonghean) - In a statement on his official Twitter page on August 19, Iranian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Hamid Baeidinejad confirmed that the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, which was seized on July 4 on suspicion of violating sanctions against Syria, had left Gibraltar, a British overseas territory.
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| The Grace 1 oil tanker has been released. |
Earlier, on August 18, the Wall Street Journal reported that the supertanker had left Gibraltar at 11 p.m. local time. Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization said that the ship had changed its name from Grace 1 to Adrian Darya and was on its way to one of the Mediterranean ports.
Iran's ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, said earlier on Twitter that intensive work had been carried out to complete all necessary procedures at the port and hire a new crew since Gibraltar authorities announced the decision to release the tanker on August 15.
The Gibraltar government has twice said it cannot detain the ship as requested by the US due to differences in EU and US sanctions on Iran.
Iran has repeatedly condemned the seizure of the crude oil tanker, calling the actions by the UK and Gibraltar authorities “piracy.” In response, the UK Foreign Office criticized the July 19 seizure of the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz as state robbery and a violation of international law.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the ship was seized for “violating international regulations.” So far, neither Iranian nor British officials have officially said that the release of the Grace 1 could lead to a similar decision for the Stena Impero and its three Russian crew.
