The Iran government on September 9 said that the seized British-flagged oil tanker, Stena Impero will be released in the days to come. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said that all the legal procedures regarding the oil tanker are almost clear, the tanker will be released soon.  

Detained for violating maritime regulations 

Stena Impero was detained on July 19, on allegations that while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, it had violated the maritime regulations. Iran claimed that seven of the crew members released on Wednesday. Iranian officials ruled out any link between the seizure of Stena Impero and Iranian supertanker Grace 1, seized by British off the coast of Gibraltar. 

Read: Iran Releases Seven Indians Onboard Stena Impero After Long Detention

Seizure of Grace 1

After the British government detained Iranian tanker off Gibraltar in July, on suspicion that it was transporting oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, the act of detaining Stena Impero was observed as a tit-for-tat move by Iran. Grace 1, rename as Adrian Darya 1, laden with 2.1 million barrels of oil was released from Gibraltar on August 18, after receiving written assurances from Iran that it would not head to countries under EU sanctions. 

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However, Tehran denied that it made any promises regarding the ship’s destination. On Sunday, Mousavi briefly reported that Adrian Darya 1 has reached its destination and the oil has been sold, without clarifying any details related to the statement. He did not disclose whether Adrian Darya had unloaded its cargo or not. 

The Adrian Darya 1 was off the coast of Syria’s Tartus but had not unloaded the oil it carried, informed the Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers. Stena Impero, with its 23 crew members were seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on July 19. The relations between Iran and the US have soared due to its campaign “maximum pressure” against Tehran and the 2015 nuclear deal that reimposed sanctions.  

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(With inputs from ANI)