Iranian Oil Tanker Pursued by U.S. Discharges Cargo, IRNA Says
Iranian Tanker Pursued by U.S. Anchors at Mediterranean Port: TV
(Bloomberg) -- An Iranian-flagged oil tanker that’s been sanctioned by the U.S. has offloaded its cargo at a port on the Mediterranean Sea, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry told state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Abbas Mousavi said the Adrian Darya 1, which was thought to be carrying 2 million barrels of oil, discharged the shipment at an undisclosed location. He earlier told Iranian state TV that the ship’s cargo had been “sold at sea”.
Previously named the Grace 1, the vessel was seized in early July by British forces near Gibraltar on suspicion it was bringing oil to Syria in breach of sanctions that apply to the European Union. The U.S., which has its own sanctions on Iran, issued a warrant to seize the vessel in mid-August.
In a retaliatory move, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard seized a U.K.-flagged tanker called the Stena Impero in the Persian Gulf on July 20, claiming it had endangered other vessels. The ship is still in Iran’s custody and Mousavi said the final stage of legal and judicial work related to its seizure is under way.
To contact the reporter on this story: Arsalan Shahla in Tehran at ashahla@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Paul Abelsky
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