U.S. has conveyed its 'strong position' to Greece about Iranian tanker

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Europe

The United States has conveyed its "strong position" to the Greek government about an Iranian tanker that sailed for Greece on Monday after it was freed from detention off Gibraltar and Washington says is carrying oil to Syria, a State Department official said.

Any efforts to assist the tanker could be considered as providing material support to a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, which has immigration and potential criminal consequences, the official said.

Gibraltar rejects U.S. demand to seize Iranian oil tanker

The Iran-flagged Adrian Darya 1, previously known as Grace 1, left anchorage off Gibraltar around 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Sunday. Refinitiv ship tracking data showed early on Monday that the vessel was heading to Kalamata in Greece.

A crew member takes pictures with a mobile phone on Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1, previously named Grace 1, as it sits anchored after the Supreme Court of the British territory lifted its detention order, in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, August 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

The vessel had been detained for a month in the British overseas territory for allegedly attempting to breach European Union sanctions on Syria. Gibraltar authorities rejected an 11th-hour attempt by the U.S. to re-seize the oil tanker on Sunday, arguing that EU regulations are less strict than U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The official said the tanker was assisting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization, by transporting oil to Syria.

The official said the United States had conveyed its "strong position" to the Greek government, as well as to all ports in the Mediterranean about facilitating the tanker.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: An Iranian flag flutters on board the Adrian Darya oil tanker, formerly known as Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar, August 18, 2019. /VCG Photo)