Select date
UK to facilitate release of Iran's oil tanker if its destination is not Syria – Hunt
London will “facilitate” the release of the Iranian oil tanker captured in Gibraltar if Tehran guarantees its destination is not Syria, Hunt said after speaking to Iran’s Mohammad Javad Zarif.
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that London would agree to set free the Iranian tanker the British marines seized in Gibraltar if Tehran reassures it the vessel does not go to Syria.
1/2 Just spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. Constructive call. I reassured him our concern was destination not origin of the oil on Grace One &that UK would facilitate release if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in Gib courts
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 13, 2019
Iran has repeatedly stated that the ship was never intended to sail to Syria, yet those statements apparently were not convincing enough for the British and the Gibraltar authorities, which seized the tanker last week. The Gibraltar police even arrested four officers of the ship, including its captain, precisely on suspicion of violating the EU sanctions against Syria.
The incident, which took place last week, has led to a bitter row between London and Tehran, which prompted the UK to raise the security codes for British-flagged vessels sailing near Iranian territory. London even accused Iran of attempts to “impede the passage” of one of its own tankers – something that Tehran denied.
Also on rt.com Gibraltar police arrest Iranian tanker’s captain, chief officer
Now, Hunt said that he had a “constructive call” with Zarif, who told his British counterpart that Iran “wants to resolve the issue and is not seeking to escalate.”
The four crew members of the Iranian oil tanker have since been granted police bail “with conditions” on Friday but the vessel still remains detained.
Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.
