Britain Says Iran Tanker Will be Freed After Guarantees on Destination
After what he called a 'conservative call' with Mohammad Javad Zarif, he said Britain would facilitate release if they received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria.
A British Royal Navy patrol vessel guards the oil supertanker Grace 1, that's on suspicion of carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria, as it sits anchored in waters of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, historically claimed by Spain. (Reuters)
Loading...
London: British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told his Iranian counterpart on Saturday that a tanker held by Gibraltar would be released if Tehran guaranteed it was not violating EU sanctions by heading to Syria.
After what he called a "constructive call" with Mohammad Javad Zarif, he said Britain would "facilitate release if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in Gib (Gibraltar) courts" he tweeted.
1/2 Just spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. Constructive call. I reassured him our concern was destination not origin of the oil on Grace One &that UK would facilitate release if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in Gib courts
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 13, 2019