After Gibraltar rejected Washington's request, the Iranian oil tanker is leaving the region

An Iranian oil tanker, Grace 1, which was being held in Gibraltar and formed a crisis between Tehran and the West, sailed early Monday to an unknown destination, the region's correspondent reported, after the region rejected a US request to detain it.

The correspondent quoted sources in Gibraltar as saying that the sculpture, which changed its name, may be on its way to one of the Greek islands.

According to the Marine Traffic website, the tanker sailed off the coast of Gibraltar heading south.

The British Royal Marines seized the tanker in Gibraltar in July on suspicion of transporting oil to Syria, triggering a series of events that highlighted tensions over international oil shipping routes through the Gulf.

Iran's ambassador to Britain said on Twitter earlier that the tanker might leave tonight.

Illegal trade
The detention of the tanker ended last week, but a federal court in Washington issued an order on Friday to detain the tanker and the oil it transported and nearly $ 1 million.

The US Justice Department confirmed in a statement on Friday that the oil tanker is used in "illegal" trade towards Syria, organized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which Washington listed on its list of "foreign terrorist organizations."

The US attorney general accused the tanker of involvement in a scheme to "illegally access the US financial system with the aim of supporting illegal shipments from Iran to Syria sent by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards."

But Gibraltar said on Sunday it would not comply with the request because it complied with EU law.

In turn, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Friday that his country has not given the authorities of Gibraltar "any guarantee that the tanker Grace 1 will not go to Syria."

"Our tanker, which was illegally detained, has been released," government spokesman Ali Rubaie wrote in a tweet. "This victory without compromise is the result of strong diplomacy and a strong will to fight for the rights of the nation."

Shortly after the comments, a Gibraltar government spokesman confirmed that the "Islamic Republic of Iran has pledged" not to send oil to Syria.

Jalil Islami, deputy director of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, said on Friday the tanker would leave the Mediterranean with the Iranian flag, not the Panama flag.

"At the request of the owner, Grace 1 will sail in the Mediterranean after flying the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and will be named Adrian Daraya during the trip," Eslami was quoted as saying by state television.