Iranian tanker leaves Gibraltar, Iran ready to give it naval escort

An Iranian ship held by Gibraltar since July on suspicion of transporting oil to Syria has left port.

The tanker is moving east into the Mediterranean and lists Kalamata in Greece as the destination.

The Grace 1, renamed the Adrian Darya 1, left anchorage off Gibraltar late Sunday night.

Iran’s navy commander, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, was quoted as saying that Tehran was ready to dispatch its naval fleet to escort the tanker if required.

Gibraltar earlier rejected a request by the US to again seize the ship, which has changed its name from Grace 1 to Adrian Darya-1.

The US made the last-minute request on Friday, a day after Gibraltar lifted its detention order.

Gibraltar said it could not comply with Washington’s request to issue a new detention order because US sanctions against Iran did not apply in the EU.

The tanker’s detention ended last week, but a federal court in Washington on Friday issued a warrant for the seizure of the tanker, the oil it carries and nearly $1 million.

Via BBC/ Reuters