Iran Press/America: According to Gibraltar government, captain and the officers of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 have been released from arrest on Thursday.
On the other hand, Gibraltar was due to release the Grace 1 vessel but just hours before, the US Department of Justice sought to seize it, Gibraltar Chronicle reported.
While the Sun newspaper quoted a source close to Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardoas saying: "There is no reason to keep Grace 1 in Gibraltar a moment longer if we no longer believe it is in breach of sanctions against the Syrian regime."
Picardo would not apply to renew an order to detain Grace 1, the Sun report said, adding that he is now satisfied that the oil tanker is no longer heading to Syria.
The British navy seized an Iranian tanker at Gibraltar on Thursday (July 4th) at the request of the United States.
London claims that the tanker had been carrying Iranian oil to Syria, which is under European Union’s sanctions but Iran says first, the tanker was not headed to Syria, and second, Iran is not an EU member and also not subject to any European oil embargo.
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