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IRAN-US-DIPLOMACY-BRITAIN WRAP
Iran warns US against seizing tanker
TEHRAN, Aug 19, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Tehran said Monday it has warned its
arch-foe Washington against attempting to seize an Iranian tanker that has
set sail from waters off Gibraltar after being impounded for six weeks.
Iran had been locked in a high-seas standoff with US ally Britain since
Royal Marines seized the tanker off the coast of the British overseas
territory Gibraltar on July 4 on suspicion it was shipping oil to Syria in
breach of EU sanctions.
Little more than two weeks later, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
impounded the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker in strategic Gulf waters in
what Britain called a tit-for-tat move.
A court in Gibraltar ordered the release of the Grace 1 on Thursday.
That was in spite of a last-minute US request to detain the ship on
allegations of involvement in supporting illicit shipments to Syria by the
Guards, listed as a terrorist group by Washington.
Gibraltar’s government rejected the request, saying it could not seek a
court order to detain the supertanker because US sanctions against Iran were
not applicable in the European Union.
The tanker, bearing its new name the Adrian Darya and flying the Iranian
flag, departed on Sunday evening for the Greek port of Kalamata, according to
the monitoring website Marine Traffic.
But the final destination of the supertanker and its 2.1 million barrels
of oil remains unclear, with authorities in Greece yet to confirm that it is
expected to dock there.
As it finally sailed eastward on Monday, Iran said it had warned the
United States through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents US
interests, against trying to seize it again.
“Iran has given necessary warnings to American officials through its
official channels… not to make such a mistake because it would have grave
consequences,” said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi.
– ‘Bullying and unilateralism’ –
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, he dismissed the notion that
there was a link between the seizure of the Iranian tanker off Gibraltar and
the British-flagged tanker in the Gulf.
“There is no connection whatsoever between these two vessels,” said
Mousavi.
“There have been two or three maritime violations made by that ship,” he
said, referring to the British-flagged Stena Impero held off the Iranian port
of Bandar Abbas.
“The court is looking into it. We hope the (investigation) is completed as
soon as possible and the verdict is issued.”
The Iranian spokesman said the Gibraltar court order for the release of
the tanker was a blow to US “unilateralism”.
“The Americans have not been very successful with their unilateral
sanctions that have no legal basis.
“They should come to their senses that bullying and unilateralism cannot
get anywhere in the world today.”
Mousavi urged other countries not to accept sanctions the United States
has imposed on Iran “because they’re not legitimate and have no legal basis”.
Tensions between Iran and its arch-foe the United States have been rising
since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a landmark
nuclear deal in May 2018 and began imposing sanctions against the Islamic
republic as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign.
Iran has responded by suspending some of its commitments under the nuclear
deal.
The situation has threatened to spiral out of control in the past few
weeks with ships attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized.
At the height of the crisis, Trump called off air strikes against Iran at
the last minute in June after its forces shot down a US drone.
In its decision ordering the release of the tanker, Gibraltar said it had
received written assurances from Iran that the ship would not be headed for
countries “subject to European Union sanctions”.
Iran denied it had made any promises about the ship’s destination to
secure the release.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1432 hrs