U.S. bid to seize Iranian tanker halts its release from Gibraltar

[snoop1130]

U.S. bid to seize Iranian tanker halts its release from Gibraltar

By Guy Faulconbridge, Marco Trujillo

 

Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 sits anchored in the fog after it was seized in July by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory on suspicion of violating sanctions against Syria, in the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

 

LONDON/GIBRALTAR (Reuters) - The United States applied on Thursday to seize an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar, halting its expected release at the last minute and preventing a possible swap for British-flagged tanker held by Iran.

 

The Grace 1 oil tanker was seized by Royal Marine commandos in a landing in darkness off the coast of the British overseas territory on July 4.

 

Gibraltar said the tanker was suspected of selling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions. Two weeks later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Gulf on July 19.

 

Gibraltar was widely expected to release the Grace 1 on Thursday, but just hours before, the U.S. Department of Justice sought to seize it.

 

“The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered,” the government of Gibraltar said, adding the matter would return to the supreme court of Gibraltar at 1400 GMT on Thursday.

 

Further details were not immediately released about the grounds for the U.S. Justice Department’s application. The U.S. Justice Department was not immediately available for comment.

 

The Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper, which was first to report the news, said the court’s chief justice, Anthony Dudley, made clear that were it not for the U.S. move, “the ship would have sailed”.

 

While both Britain and Iran deny they were planning to swap the vessels for each other, there has been widespread expectation that the Britsh-flagged ship will not be freed until the Iranian tanker is released.

 

The two seized tankers - one in Gibraltar and one in Iran - are seen as a pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, with their fate tangled in the diplomatic differences between the EU’s big powers and the United States.

 

European countries including Britain strongly disagreed with Washington’s decision last year to abandon an international agreement that guaranteed Iran access to trade in return for curbs to its nuclear programme.

 

Washington has imposed sanctions on Iran with the aim of halting its oil exports altogether. European countries have lifted sanctions against Iran itself but still have a ban on selling oil to Syria, in place since 2011.

 

Gibraltar denies that it was ordered to detain the Grace 1, which was carrying up to 2.1 million barrels of oil, but several diplomatic sources have said the United States asked the United Kingdom to seize the vessel.

 

Britain, which has insisted its Iran policy will not change under new Prime Minister Boris Johnson who took office last month, has repeatedly indicated it wants a compromise over the tanker.

 

The captain and three officers of the Grace 1 have been released from arrest.

 

A source in Gibraltar had told Reuters ahead of Thursday’s court hearing that the Grace 1 would probably be allowed to leave, stoking speculation about a possible tanker swap with Iran.

Britain has announced plans to join a U.S.-led maritime security mission in the Gulf.

 

Iranian navy commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi repeated Iran’s longstanding demand that Western navies leave the Gulf, which Iran says should be patrolled only by the countries of the region, ISNA news agency reported on Thursday.

 

“The enemies of the region, America, England and the Zionist regime and their allies, should know that the time of parading, loitering and putting on a hypocritical show in the Persian Gulf region and the sea of Oman is over,” Khanzadi said, according to ISNA.

 

“The enemies must leave the region as quickly as possible.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-15

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[Bluespunk]

10 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered,

In other words they are busy making crap up to justify trump’s desire to impose his will upon the rest of the world. 

 

maga

[from the home of CC]

you should of checked with the boss first... lol

[bluesofa]

3 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

you should of checked with the boss first... lol

I didn't think Bruce Springsteen was interested in politics?

[Tug]

.Donald is desperate for distractions to shift the news from the economy immigration gun control all the issues that he is floundering on presently.lmo

[bristolboy]

This just in:

Seized Iranian tanker Grace 1 to be released despite US plea

A seized oil tanker at the center of a standoff between Britain and Iran is free to set sail, despite eleventh-hour efforts by the United States to halt the move to release it.

The Supreme Court in the British territory of Gibraltar approved the release of the Grace 1, after authorities said they no longer wished to detain it

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/15/middleeast/gibraltar-grace-1-oil-tanker-gbr-intl/index.html

 

A last minute attempt so desperate and clueless probably came from Trump himself.

[pegman]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

This just in:

Seized Iranian tanker Grace 1 to be released despite US plea

A seized oil tanker at the center of a standoff between Britain and Iran is free to set sail, despite eleventh-hour efforts by the United States to halt the move to release it.

The Supreme Court in the British territory of Gibraltar approved the release of the Grace 1, after authorities said they no longer wished to detain it

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/15/middleeast/gibraltar-grace-1-oil-tanker-gbr-intl/index.html

 

A last minute attempt so desperate and clueless probably came from Trump himself.

Hear, hear! No good comes from obeying the Yanks.

[Basil B]

Yanks blowing hot air again.

Quote

Gibraltar's chief justice, Anthony Dudley, said no US application was currently before the court.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49362182

[Somtamnication]

Well, it didn't work. Tanker released. 555555555

[Paul Henry]

The current USA administration is a laughing stock to the rest of the world.Other countries even tiny little countries like Gibralter will not be bullied by an irratic would be dictator who changes his mind on a whim or a tweet.

[ballpoint]

So, Trump demanded they detain the boat, but Gibraltar told the big tanker to bugger off.  And they let the boat go too.

 

 

[evadgib]

FCO statement published yesterday:

 

Quote

A Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokesperson said:

 

"The UK notes the conclusion of Gibraltar’s legal proceedings and the steps Gibraltar’s authorities have taken to prevent the ship’s cargo from reaching Syria in contravention of EU Syria Sanctions".

 

"We note the Government of Gibraltar has received assurances from Iran that the Grace 1 will not proceed to Syria. Iran must abide by the assurances they have provided. We will not stand by and allow Iran – or anyone – to bypass vital EU sanctions on a regime that has deployed chemical weapons against its own people".

 

"There is no comparison or linkage between Iran’s unacceptable and illegal seizure of, and attacks on, commercial shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the enforcement of EU Syria sanctions by the Government of Gibraltar. Freedom of navigation for commercial shipping must be respected and international law upheld".

Grace 1: UK statement on the outcome of Gibraltar's legal proceedings

 

Of peripheral interest:

PM call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: 15 August 2019

 

UK and Norway Reinforce North Atlantic Security

[Pedrogaz]

3 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

The current USA administration is a laughing stock to the rest of the world.Other countries even tiny little countries like Gibralter will not be bullied by an irratic would be dictator who changes his mind on a whim or a tweet.

True. I cannot believe the folks on here standing up for small countries' rights, including Iran's right to ship its oil unmolested. 

Trump is totally unfit for public office of any sort....personally I wouldn't let him dig my garden. Vulgar, boorish, uncouth, racist, sexist...name it, he is inflicted with it. His election shows the world how close we are to world wars when the perverted democracy in the USA, where senators and congressmen are bought by AIPAC, brings one such as Trump to the presidency.

[car720]

19 hours ago, Tug said:

.Donald is desperate for distractions to shift the news from the economy immigration gun control all the issues that he is floundering on presently.lmo

I don't know why he doesn't just start a war.

Everyone is waiting for one anyway.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and the replies have been removed. 

[tonbridgebrit]

On 8/15/2019 at 12:13 PM, Bluespunk said:

In other words they are busy making crap up to justify trump’s desire to impose his will upon the rest of the world. 

 

maga

You deserve credit. Actually, most people knew that the American attempt to seize the tanker before it's release was based on nonsense. But you, you was willing to say it, hence, credit for you.

[Bluespunk]

37 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

You deserve credit. Actually, most people knew that the American attempt to seize the tanker before it's release was based on nonsense. But you, you was willing to say it, hence, credit for you.

With trump nonsense is a common denominator.