The Iranian ambassador to the United Kingdom Hamid Baedinejad said after a meeting with the UK foreign secretary on Wednesday that Iran has the right to sell its oil in any way that is in the interest of the country.
Baedinejad said that he was summoned by the UK Foreign Office on Wednesday during which the foreign secretary expressed his opposition to Adrian Darya 1’s action in unloading its oil.
The Iranian ambassador said that during the meeting, the two sides expressed their stances on the recently released Iranian oil tanker, which was previously named Grace 1.
He added that in the meeting, he had explained the Islamic Republic of Iran’s stances very clearly, saying that the case started after the illegal seizure of the Iranian oil tanker in the Gibraltar by the UK and Gibraltar authorities.
The diplomat added that as it had been stated earlier the alleged EU sanctions on Syria do not apply to third countries and are only applicable to the EU countries, thus seizure of the Adrian Darya 1 was basically illegal.
According to Baedinejad, Iran warned the International Maritime Organization (IMO) over the recent US offering of cash to captain of Iranian ship 'Adrian Darya' in a bid to seize it.
The Iranian oil tanker, previously called Grace 1, was released by the Gibraltar government last month despite pressure from the US for the vessel’s continued unlawful detainment.
Iran has also the UK-Flagged Stena Impero oil tanker in detention for violating international maritime law in the Strait of Hormuz since June.
KI/IRN83471838
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