The US has made a late application to seize the Iranian tanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar just hours before the authorities were set to release the vessel after its capture by British forces in July.
Gibraltar media reported that the US Department of Justice made a court application on Thursday to seize the ship. The move is likely to raise tensions with Tehran and raise concerns about the continued safe passage of shipping in the Gulf region.
Expectations had been mounting that the vessel would be released after claims by Iran earlier this week that it had handed over documents that showed Grace 1 was seized “based on false allegations.”
Gibraltar’s government also told local media that the captain of Grace 1 and three officers had been released. A senior judge also reportedly confirmed that the ship was set to leave before the US intervention.
The hearing was postponed until later on Thursday to allow the authorities to consider the US request, according to the Gibraltar Chronicle.
The tanker was held amid claims that it was seeking to ship two million barrels of crude to the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad in contravention of EU sanctions. Iran called the detention of the ship an act of piracy.
The failure to release the Grace 1 could scupper the release of a British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, which was seized in the Strait of Hormuz two weeks later in what was regarded as an act of retaliation by Iran.
The UK says Iran unlawfully seized the Stena Impero, which is owned by a Swedish company, but Tehran claims it broke maritime regulations.
The hearing comes with a Saturday deadline looming for holding the vessel after Gibraltar’s Supreme Court last month extended the initial 14-day detention by another 30 days.
The deputy head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, Jalil Eslami, told state news agency Irna on Tuesday that “we hope the release will take place soon” after the exchange of documents.
Gibraltar’s government had denied Iranian claims of a release earlier this week but said that it was looking to ease tensions. It said it had clear evidence that the tanker was heading for the Syrian oil refinery of Baniyas, in breach of sanctions intended to weaken the Assad government.
Reuters cited unidentified Gibraltar sources on Thursday as saying the ship would be allowed to sail just hours before the reported US intervention.
The seizure of the vessel came as the UK government was focused on a political leadership battle and continued tensions over Washington’s decision to end the Barack Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran.
The government of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson has since joined a US-led naval force, viewed by Tehran as a move to align itself more closely to Washington’s hawkish policy on Iran.
EU nations are trying to find way to trade with Iran in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme; the Johnson government has said that it still supports that goal.
Source: The National
