“Renaming of the tanker carrying Iranian oil in Gibraltar has given rise to the misunderstanding that the act is done to circumvent the US sanctions,” he wrote, “But it has been due to Panama’s decision about withdrawal of its flag from the tanker.”
“Regarding the decision about flying an Iranian flag on the tanker, it was necessary to have it registered it in Iran,” he described.
“It was necessary to rename the tanker after its registration in Iran,” he added, “It was given an Iranian name.”
The Iranian ambassador underscored that the tanker is under no sanctions and is carrying oil under the permission of NIOC.
The US Justice Department has issued a warrant to seize Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, a day after a judge in Gibraltar ordered it to be released.
The Grace 1 supertanker, carrying 2.1 million barrels of oil, was illegally detained by British Marines off the coasts of Gibraltar on 4 July.
Gibraltar’s government announced this week it was releasing the supertanker despite pressure from the US for the vessel’s continued detainment.
The US warrant unveiled on Friday read, “A seizure warrant and forfeiture complaint were unsealed today in the US District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that Oil Tanker “Grace 1,” all petroleum aboard it and $995,000.00 are subject to forfeiture based on violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), bank fraud statute, and money laundering statute, as well as separately the terrorism forfeiture statute.”
The US Justice also alleged that there had been “a scheme to unlawfully access the US financial system to support illicit shipments to Syria from Iran.”
Britain’s naval forces unlawfully seized the Grace 1 and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4 under the pretext that the supertanker had been suspected of carrying crude to Syria in violation of the European Union’s unilateral sanctions against the Arab country.
Tehran, however, rejected London’s claim that the tanker was heading to Syria, slamming the seizure as “maritime piracy.”
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