US issues warrant to seize Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 stuck in Gibraltar

Washington had attempted to detain the Grace 1 on the grounds that it had links to Iran’s IRGC

The tanker was seized by British Royal Marines on July 4 on suspicion of violating EU sanctions by taking oil to Syria

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Published: 5:46pm, 17 Aug 2019Updated: 5:52pm, 17 Aug 2019

Newly released court documents show Washington issued a warrant for the seizure of an Iranian tanker that British Royal Marines had seized last month in Gibraltar, citing evidence that it was transporting oil to Syria in violation of US sanctions.

The oil tanker Grace 1, the more than two million barrels of oil it carries and US$995,000 are subject to forfeiture based on a complaint by the American government, US lawyer for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu said in a news release on Friday.

The tanker was seized by British Royal Marines at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran.

A court document said there was evidence that showed that the tanker was expected to arrive in Syria in early July.

“Charts and electronic equipment recovered from on-board the Grace 1, WhatsApp messages recovered from crew members’ mobile devices, and crew members’ statements revealed that the Grace 1 was destined for Port Banias, Syria in violation of US sanctions,” the document said.

Iran has repeatedly denied that tanker’s destination was Syria.