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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/18/iran-tanker-at-centre-of-diplomatic-row-set-to-leave-gibraltar
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| Iran tanker at centre of diplomatic row set to leave Gibraltar | Iran tanker at centre of diplomatic row set to leave Gibraltar |
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| The supertanker at the centre of a six-week diplomatic row between Britain and Iran is expected to leave Gibraltar on Sunday night, Iran’s ambassador to the UK has said. | The supertanker at the centre of a six-week diplomatic row between Britain and Iran is expected to leave Gibraltar on Sunday night, Iran’s ambassador to the UK has said. |
| Hamid Baeidinejad said on Twitter: “With the arrival of two specialised engineering teams to Gibraltar ... the vessel is expected to leave tonight.” | Hamid Baeidinejad said on Twitter: “With the arrival of two specialised engineering teams to Gibraltar ... the vessel is expected to leave tonight.” |
| The news came hours after Gibraltar rejected a final US request to detain the oil tanker Grace 1 – now renamed by Iran as Adrian Darya 1 – any longer. Filled with 2.1m barrels of oil, the ship’s cargo is worth an estimated $140m (£115m). | |
| Royal Marines first seized the vessel off the shores of Gibraltar on 4 July, saying that it was carrying oil bound for Syria in breach of EU sanctions. | Royal Marines first seized the vessel off the shores of Gibraltar on 4 July, saying that it was carrying oil bound for Syria in breach of EU sanctions. |
| That prompted Iran to seize a British flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf in retaliation a fortnight later and sparked a crisis in diplomatic relations between the two countries. Iran has denied that the tanker was ever headed to Syria. | That prompted Iran to seize a British flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf in retaliation a fortnight later and sparked a crisis in diplomatic relations between the two countries. Iran has denied that the tanker was ever headed to Syria. |
| The vessel’s detention looked like it had ended last week, after Iran gave a commitment in writing to Gibraltar that it would not sail to Syria or anywhere else covered by EU sanctions. | |
| But there was fresh legal uncertainty on Friday, when a federal court in Washington issued a warrant for the seizure of the supertanker, the oil it carries and nearly $1m, saying there had been a breach of US sanctions against Iran. | |
| However, Gibraltar said on Sunday it could not comply with that request because it was bound by EU law. “The EU sanctions regime on Iran is fundamentally different to that the US,” Gibraltar said. | However, Gibraltar said on Sunday it could not comply with that request because it was bound by EU law. “The EU sanctions regime on Iran is fundamentally different to that the US,” Gibraltar said. |
| The US claims the tanker is controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which is the target of its sanctions. But without Gibraltar agreeing to its request, there were no immediate legal obstacle left to the supertanker setting sail. | The US claims the tanker is controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which is the target of its sanctions. But without Gibraltar agreeing to its request, there were no immediate legal obstacle left to the supertanker setting sail. |
| Tehran said it was ready to dispatch its naval fleet to escort the tanker if required. “The era of hit and run is over ... if top authorities ask the navy, we are ready to escort out tanker Adrian,” Iran’s navy commander, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency. | |
| On Sunday, video footage and photographs showed the tanker flying the red, green and white flag of Iran and bearing its new name, painted in white, on the hull. Its previous name, Grace 1, had been painted over. The vessel’s anchor was still down. | On Sunday, video footage and photographs showed the tanker flying the red, green and white flag of Iran and bearing its new name, painted in white, on the hull. Its previous name, Grace 1, had been painted over. The vessel’s anchor was still down. |
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