Iranian oil tanker sought by US spotted off the coast of Syria

Tehran reportedly promised the once-detained vessel would not go to Syria when authorities in Gibraltar agreed to release it several weeks ago

Its appearance in waters near Tartus comes as Iran prepares to announce what further steps it had taken to move away from the 2015 nuclear deal

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A satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies appears to show the Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya-1 off the coast of Tartus. Photo: AP

Published: 1:34pm, 7 Sep 2019Updated: 1:34pm, 7 Sep 2019

A once-detained Iranian oil tanker pursued by the US appears to be off the coast of Syria, where Tehran reportedly promised the vessel would not go when authorities in Gibraltar agreed to release it several weeks ago, according to satellite images obtained on Saturday.

The appearance of the Adrian Darya-1 in waters near Tartus comes as Iran was prepared on Saturday to announce what further steps it had taken to move away from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, more than a year after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the accord.

Both events have raised tensions between Iran and the US over recent months that have seen mysterious attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran shooting down a US military surveillance drone and other incidents across the wider Middle East. The US issued a new warning of a potential threat to shipping off of Yemen early on Saturday.

The tanker Adrian Darya-1, formerly known as the Grace-1, turned off its Automatic Identification System late on Monday, leading to speculation it would be heading to Syria. Other Iranian oil tankers have similarly turned off their tracking beacons in the area, with analysts saying they believe crude oil ends up in Syria in support of embattled President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Supertanker Adrian Darya-1, formerly known as the Grace 1. Photo: AP

Images obtained early on Saturday from Maxar Technologies appeared to show the vessel off Syria’s coast, some 3.7 kilometres off shore under intermittent cloud cover.

Iranian and Syrian officials have not acknowledged the vessel’s presence there. There was no immediate report in Iranian state media about the ship, though authorities earlier said the 2.1 million barrels of crude oil on board had been sold to an unnamed buyer.