Iranian Envoy Confirms Seized Supertanker Set Sail from Gibraltar
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Ambassador to London Hamid Baeidinejad said on Monday that the country’s oil tanker that had been captured by the British forces last month and was released Thursday, has set sail from Gibraltar.
“At this moment, we confirm that, finally, 45 days after being stopped in Gibraltar waters, the tanker carrying Iranian oil began to move toward international waters,” Baeidinejad said on his Twitter account.
“The overwhelming attention of global and regional politicians and the public opinion (to the issue) reflects the important political, international and legal outcomes of the actions taken in the past few days,” he wrote in his tweet.
In another tweet on Thursday, Baeidinejad had said, “The US, with its forlorn last-ditch attempts, tried to prevent the release of the oil tanker but faced a humiliating defeat.”
The authorities in Gibraltar on Thursday released the Iranian vessel, Grace 1 (now known as Adrian Darya), defying a US request hours earlier to seize the ship. They also released the ship’s crew from detention.
On July 4, the British Royal Marines seized the giant Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar for trying to take oil to Syria allegedly in violation of EU sanctions.
Tehran maintained that the supertanker was not bound for Syria and its seizure has taken place at the behest of the US.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry had summoned the British envoy to Tehran several times in protest at the UK navy’s move.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had warned London that it will definitely pay the price for the illegal seizure of Grace 1 in international waters.
