The government of the British territory of Gibraltar on Sunday rejected a request from the United States to detain the Iranian oil tanker preparing to leave its territorial waters, saying that US sanctions are not applicable in the European Union.
"Under European law, Gibraltar is unable to lend the assistance requested by the United States", who want to seize the tanker in application of US sanctions against Iran, explained the authorities of the "Rock" in a statement.
Several requests from the United States to immobilize the tanker
Gibraltar had boarded the tanker Grace 1 on 4 July on suspicion of transporting oil to Syria under European sanctions against Syria. The tanker was cleared Thursday to leave when Tehran assured that the cargo of 2.1 million barrels would not be delivered to Syria.
In the meantime, the statement said, the US has made several demands for the oil tanker to be detained, and the Justice Department has issued a warrant for seizure based on US sanctions against Iran.
"The sanctions regime of the European Union is fundamentally different from that of the United States," the statement said. In addition, European regulations "specifically prohibit the application of certain US laws", including those on sanctions against Iran.
The tanker, sailing under the Panamanian flag, was renamed Adrian Darya for the remainder of his trip and went under the flag of Iran, which floated on Sunday at its stern.