IRAN’S port authority said Tuesday it has been in contact with British authorities as part of efforts to secure the release of a tanker seized off Gibraltar. Gibraltar — a British overseas territory — seized the Grace 1 supertanker July 4 with the help of British Royal Marines on suspicion it was shipping oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. A court in Gibraltar is to decide the fate of the ship today, when an order for its detention lapses. The deputy head of Iran’s port authority, Jalil Eslami, said in a report by state news agency IRNA that Britain had shown an interest in overcoming the problem and documents had been exchanged. “Efforts from Iran and the port organization have been made for the release of this ship,” he was quoted as saying. “I hope this problem will be resolved in the near future and that the ship can continue its movement with the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” On July 19, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards impounded the British-flagged Stena Impero oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz for breaking “international maritime rules.” (SD-Agencies) |