Despite US pressure, Gibraltar authorities release Iranian oil tanker

The Supreme Court in Gibraltar has decided to release the Iranian tanker Grace 1 immediately after being detained for more than 40 days on suspicion of transporting about two million barrels of crude oil to Syria. The court decision came despite US pressure to extend its detention.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Mina Harblo said that Gibraltar's government canceled the decision to detain the Iranian oil tanker and allowed it to sail.

The correspondent explained that the release of the tanker means the fall of the allegations on the basis of which it was detained. She added that the Supreme Court decision means exceeding US demands and pressure on the authorities of Gibraltar.

The newspaper "Chronicle" local that the Iranian tanker has made a written commitment to the authorities of Gibraltar not to unload its cargo in Syria.

"On this basis, the Prime Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo decided to lift the detention order and allow the tanker to sail."

American hacking
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the release of the Iranian tanker in Gibraltar confirms "the failure of American piracy."

"Having failed to achieve its goals through economic terrorism, including denying cancer patients drugs, the United States has tried to misuse the law to steal our property at sea," Zarif wrote on Twitter.

For his part, accused the Iranian ambassador in London, the United States to make desperate efforts to prevent the authorities of Gibraltar to release the oil tanker, adding that US efforts have failed.

"America has made desperate attempts to prevent the tanker from being released at the last minute, but it has suffered a terrible defeat," Ambassador Hamid Baidi-Nejad said on Twitter. "All preparations have been completed for the sailing of the ship and will leave Gibraltar soon."

Earlier Thursday, the United States asked Britain's Gibraltar authorities to extend the detention of the oil tanker.

Gibraltar authorities had detained "Grace 1", which carries about two million barrels of oil, in early July; on suspicion of violating the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Syrian regime, a charge denied by the Iranian authorities.