Iran appears to outplay US in tanker saga, sells 2.1 million barrels of oil to unnamed buyer
- Tanker was seized by Gibraltar police and British special forces on July 4 on suspicion of shipping oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions
- The US wants to seize the ship and has been warning nations not to accept it
Iran on Monday announced that the 2.1 million barrels of crude aboard an Iranian oil tanker pursued by the US has been sold to an unnamed buyer as the ship, at the centre of a crisis roiling the region, continued its voyage in the Mediterranean Sea.
The announcement by government spokesman Ali Rabiei represents just the latest twist in the saga of the Adrian Darya 1, which had been known as the Grace 1 when authorities seized the vessel off Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion of breaking European Union sanctions targeting Syria.
The seizure of the ship, and Iran’s subsequent seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker, came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran over the collapse of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Speaking to journalists on Monday in Tehran, Rabiei declined to name the oil’s buyer, nor terms for the sale.
At market rates, the crude oil aboard the Adrian Darya would be worth about US$130 million. However, anyone buying it likely would be targeted by US financial sanctions.