The Supreme Court of Gibraltar today approved the extension of the detention of the Iranian oil tanker, which was intercepted on Thursday until July 19, after suspicion of violating European sanctions against Syria. Tehran has threatened to detain a British tanker if the Iranian tanker was not released.

"The Supreme Court issued an order today on the grounds that there are reasonable grounds for Grace 1 to be held for purposes of complying with EU Regulation No. 36 of 2012 on sanctions against Syria," Britain's Gibraltar government said in a statement.

The Gibraltar authorities suspect the tanker Grace 1, which was seized Thursday off the island, was carrying oil to the Banias refinery in Syria in violation of international sanctions on the Damascus regime.

The tanker is currently in eastern Gibraltar, while its captain and crew are being questioned by the police as witnesses, according to the local government.

The correspondent of the island of the Spanish border with Gibraltar Ayman al-Zubayr that investigations with the crew of the tank continues, as well as the inspection of the giant tank loaded with one million barrels.

He added that there were some documents found on the ship stating that the oil was shipped from Iraq and not from Iran, according to some media reported.

The reporter noted that the decision of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar to extend the detention for 14 days is somewhat surprising, because the news that circulated this morning talked about the possibility that the extension of the 72 hours in accordance with the laws in force on the island.

The Government of Gibraltar issued a statement stating that it had not acted at the request of a third State to detain the tanker and had acted on the information it had received and for the application of European sanctions against Syria. The statement was in response to the statement by Spanish Foreign Minister Josip Borrell, At the request of the US authorities.

Spanish media reported that Madrid would lodge a complaint against Britain to stop the tanker in the waters of Gibraltar, which Madrid considers to be water under its sovereignty. Gibraltar is disputed territory between Britain and Spain.

A British navy ship guards a giant oil tanker suspected of carrying Iranian oil to a refinery in Syria,

Iranian anger
On the other hand, Tehran demanded the immediate release of its carrier, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry informed the British ambassador in Tehran after being summoned that this move would fuel tension in the region.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander threatened to detain a British tanker in retaliation for the capture of the Iranian Royal Marines.

"If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, the (Iranian) authorities will have the duty to detain a British oil tanker," said Mohsen Rezai, secretary of the Expediency Council.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in London, Mohammed Al-Madhoun, said the British Foreign Office spokesmen refused to comment on the latest developments and said they were waiting for the results of the investigation, which could last for weeks. The spokesman confirmed that the British Royal Navy's Special Forces unit 42 had withdrawn from the tanker, The law-enforcement authorities of Gibraltar.

Bolton describes Gibraltar's detention of Iranian oil tanker with excellent news (Reuters)

Official reports
The correspondent of the island to the British official reports talking about informing the Spanish authorities ahead of the implementation of the detention of the Iranian carrier, and that a boat belonging to the Spanish Royal Guard was watching the detention process close.

In a related context, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the consequences of the detention of the Iranian carrier may be severe and responsibility borne by those who put pressure on Tehran and Damascus. The ministry added that the response of London and Washington to the detention of the carrier confirms that this procedure was prepared in advance.

US national security adviser John Bolton said the arrest of the Iranian oil tanker was "excellent news."

These developments come amid escalating tension between the United States and Iran following Washington's withdrawal from Iran's nuclear deal, toughened by economic sanctions on Tehran, and the US military sending additional naval blocks to Gulf waters in a warning message to the Iranian authorities.