The United States on Thursday asked the Gibraltar authorities to prolong the immobilization of the Iranian tanker that they have been holding for a month, a coup de theater while the British territory was preparing to let the ship go.
While an agreement between London and Tehran seemed close at hand, Washington has filed a request for mutual legal assistance in the night from Wednesday to Thursday for the seizure of the ship, said Joseph Triay public prosecutor Thursday morning. before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
The end of the immobilization Grace 1 set for Saturday, August 19
"The US Department of Justice has requested the seizure of the Grace 1 by relieving a number of reasons that are being examined," said a spokesman for the Government of Gibraltar, adding that the hearing was postponed to 16:00 [14:00 GMT].
The court had to decide whether to prolong the detention of the tanker Grace 1, suspected of carrying oil to Syria in violation of a European embargo. The end of the immobilization Grace 1 is currently set for Saturday, August 19.
The ship had to leave
Without this request received at 01:30 [23H30 GMT Wednesday], "the ship would be gone again," said Supreme Court President Anthony Dudley.
A request for mutual legal assistance usually involves asking a court such as Gibraltar to enforce a decision of a foreign court, in this case a US court. Meanwhile, the captain and three Grace 1 officers, who were on bail, were formally released, a spokesman for the Gibraltar government said.
The Grace 1 boarded the July
The Grace 1, loaded with 2.1 million barrels of oil, was boarded on July 4 by the Gibraltar police and the British special forces, causing a diplomatic crisis between Tehran and London.
Tehran assures the tanker was sailing in international waters and accuses the United Kingdom of "piracy", claiming from the start that the British let him leave. On 19 July Iran blocked a British oil tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Strait of Ormuz on suspicion of "non-compliance with the international maritime code".