Iranian oil tanker pursued by US says it is going to Turkey

An Iranian-flagged oil tanker pursued by U.S. amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington changed its listed destination to a port in Turkey after Greece said it wouldn’t risk its relations with America by aiding it.

Meanwhile, Iran sanctioned a prominent Washington-based think tank that led criticism of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers over its alleged “ecomic terrorism,” something organization described as a “bge of hor.”

crew of oil tanker rian Darya 1, formerly kwn as Grace 1, on Saturday updated its listed destination in its Automatic Identification System to Mersin, Turkey, a port city in country’s south and home to an oil terminal.

However, mariners can input any destination into AIS, so Turkey may t be its true destination. Mersin is some 200 kilometers (125 miles) rthwest of a refinery in Baniyas, Syria, where authorities alleged rian Darya h been heing before being seized off Gibraltar in early July.

Iranian state media did t ackwledge new reported destination of rian Darya, which carries 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil worth some $130 million. r was re any immediate reaction from Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan deals directly with Tehran and Russia over Syria’s long war.

ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com showed rian Darya’s position as just south of Sicily in Mediterranean Sea. At current speeds, it estimated rian Darya would reach Mersin in about a week.

State Department said it h “conveyed our strong position to ALL ports in Mediterranean that should be forewarned about facilitating Grace 1,” without elaborating.

rian Darya’s detention and later release by Gibraltar have ded fuel to growing tensions between Washington and Tehran, after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago over concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional influence. In time since, Iran lost billions of dollars in business deals allowed by deal, as U.S. re-imposed and created sanctions largely blocking Tehran from selling crude oil aboard, a crucial source of hard currency for Islamic Republic.

In U.S. federal court documents, authorities allege rian Grace’s true owner is Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary organization answerable only to Supreme Leer Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. declared Revolutionary Guard a foreign terror organization in April, first time America named a military force of a nation as such, giving it legal power to issue a warrant for vessel’s seizure. However, that would require ar nation to ackwledge writ.

rian Darya h put its intended destination as Kalamata, Greece, even though port did t have infrastructure to offlo oil from tanker. State Department n pressured Greece t to aid vessel.

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Meanwhile, Iran continues to hold British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which it seized in a commando-style raid July 19 after taking of rian Darya. Analysts suggested release of rian Darya would see Stena Impero let go, but that has yet to happen.

Late on August 24, Iranian state media reported country’s Foreign Ministry h imposed sanctions on Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies and its CEO for its role in promoting sanctions and “ecomic terrorism” against Iran. Reports accused foundation and its CEO, Mark Dubowitz, of “intentionally” damaging vital interests of Iran through spreing lies and negative campaigning against Iran.

State media said sanctions allow judiciary actions against foundation, Dubowitz and Iranian colleagues. But like U.S. sanctions, y have little effect unless a person actively uses Iranian financial system. Iran in recent years has sanctioned U.S. government officials and businesses in response to American pressure.

In a statement to Associated Press, Dubowitz said his think tank “considers its inclusion on any list put out by regime as a bge of hor.” Later, Dubowitz began describing move as a “threat,” citing one English-langu report by semi-official Iranian news ncy Mehr that said “taking (of) any actions by judicial and security apparatuses against FDD and ir Iranian and n-Iranian accomplices will be considered legitimate.”

State Department similarly described Iran’s move against foundation as a “threat.”

“ U.S. takes regime’s threats seriously,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus wrote on Twitter. “We intend to hold Iran responsible for directly or indirectly compromising safety of any American.”

Also on Saturday, he of Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, said it h successfully test-fired a “new missile” a day earlier, but did t elaborate on of weapon, according to semi-official Tasnim news ncy. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday debuted an Iran-me air-defense missile system, Bavar-373. In June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating but called off an airstrike at last moment.

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