Gibraltar, July 6: The Supreme Court of Gibraltar has extended a detention period of a seized Iranian oil supertanker, which was captured on Thursday on suspicion of transferring crude oil to Syria, in violation of the European Union (EU) and United States (US) oil embargo against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.
According to Sputnik news reports, Gibraltar’s government said, “The Supreme Court has issued today’s order on the basis that there are reasonable grounds to consider that the detention of the Grace 1 is required for the purposes of compliance with the European Union (EU) Regulation 36/2012 on sanctions on Syria.”
On Thursday, the territory’s head Fabian Picardo said the United Kingdom (UK) Royal Marines had seized the Iranian Grace 1 oil vessel off Gibraltar. He stated the tank was supposed to be en routed to a Syrian refinery, allegedly owned by a firm subjected to the EU sanctions against Baghdad.
The crews of the ship were being held in the territory for interrogation which included citizens of India, Pakistan, and Ukraine.
Iran has on Friday criticized the UK “illegal” seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar and has demanded the immediate release.
The British foreign office rebuffed Tehran’s claims of piracy and called it “nonsense”.
On Friday, ex-IRGC chief Mohsen Rezai said if the UK does not release oil vessel then it is Rouhani’s authorities responsibility to seize a British vessel owned in a retaliatory move.
A top-level Iranian foreign ministry official has “described the UK move as unacceptable” during a meeting with the UK ambassador – summoned in order to hear the formal protest.
Advisor on sanctions, Matthew Oresman, a partner with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman – a law firm- said, “This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive. I imagine it was also coordinated in some manner with the US given that NATO member forces have been involved.”
“This is likely to have been meant as a signal to Syria and Iran – as well as the US – that Europe takes sanctions enforcement seriously and that the EU can also respond to Iranian brinkmanship related to ongoing nuclear negotiations.”
Also read: Iran condemns UK ‘illegal’ seizure of Syria-bound oil tanker in Gibraltar; demands immediate release