London requires the release of the Iranian tanker and Zarif heading for New York

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Saturday that he had informed his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif that Britain would facilitate the release of the detained Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 if it received assurances it would not fly to Syria.

The British minister said that he assured his Iranian counterpart that what matters to London is the destination of the oil tanker "Grace 1" and not the origin of the oil it carries, and that Zarif informed him of Tehran's desire to resolve the issue of the carrier, and that it does not seek to escalate the situation.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in London Mohammed Al-Madhoun said that Hunt had made two important contacts: one with Zarif and focusing on two things: one is the subject of the tanker detained in Gibraltar, the second about a British citizen of Iranian origin detained in Iran, where he demanded his release, Solve this issue.

Two connections
The correspondent added that Hunt's second contact was with the head of Gibraltar's government. He said that the latter was doing excellent work and coordinating the issue with London and that he shared the view of finding a way out for the release of the Iranian carrier in the event of assurances that it would not go to Syria.

On the Iranian side, Al-Jazeera correspondent Abdul Qadir Fayez said that Tehran described this contact positively, and confirms that it is establishing a new stage of going back.

He added that it could be said that the release became a reality, because Iran has already handed the British ambassador documents proving that the ship was not heading to Syria.

Gibraltar police said they had released all four crew members on bail without charge, after the carrier was detained last week on suspicion of violating European sanctions by transferring oil to Syria.

Police said the release was made on condition that investigations were still under way. Police said yesterday they had arrested two crew members, a day after the captain was arrested.

Detention and suspicion
The Gibraltar authorities detained the 330-meter-long Iranian oil tanker on July 4.

Authorities in the southernmost province of Spain said they suspected the Iranian ship was transporting oil to Syria in violation of European sanctions against Damascus, which Tehran denied, condemning the crime of "piracy."

The head of the Gibraltar authorities, Fabian Piccardo, said on Friday that the Iranian ship was loaded with a maximum capacity of 2.1 million barrels of crude oil.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador in Tehran, demanding the immediate release of the carrier "Grace 1", and warned that this process may fuel tension in the region.

At the same time, a commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards threatened to detain a British tanker in response to the detention of the Iranian tanker, the same threat echoed by the Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezai.

Zarif to New York
On the other hand, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRNA) news agency reported that Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif had gone to New York today to attend a UN conference amid escalating tension between Washington and Tehran.

The dispute between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program has been focused on, and Washington accuses Iranian forces of involvement in attacks on tankers in the Gulf region, a charge Tehran denies.

The two countries came close to the brink of direct military confrontation last month after Tehran dropped a US marathon and ordered a retaliatory retaliation, but canceled a last-minute air strike.

Zarif will attend a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York and then head to Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, the IRNA news agency said.

US Treasury Secretary Stephen Menuchin said in June that Washington would impose sanctions on senior Iranian officials, including Zarif, a move that would block any diplomatic efforts to resolve the row.

But sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday that the United States had decided not to impose sanctions on Zarif now, in reference to the United States keeping the door open - apparently - to diplomatic efforts.

The president announced last year his country's withdrawal from the agreement signed between Iran and world powers in 2015, which was aimed at imposing restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.

The United States has tightened sanctions on Tehran since then, causing a significant cut in Iranian oil exports.