As the Grace 1 tanker which was seized by Britain prepares to set sail for the Mediterranean, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied offering any commitments not to send the ship to Syria, affirming that Syria was never its intended destination, but that if it were, it would be ‘nobody’s business’.
“For the release of the Grace 1 oil tanker, Iran has made no commitment that the ship would not go to Syria because form the early hours of the tanker’s detention, we announced that Syria was not its destination and we have upheld the same… and reiterated that it was nobody's business even if it was Syria,” said Abbas Mousavi, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The statement contrasts with that made by Gibraltar authorities, who say they received written commitments from Iran that the vessel would not deliver fuel to Syria.
On Friday, the ship appeared to shift its position but has yet to lift its anchor from Gibraltar. In a turn of events, the name of the ship was changed to Adrian Darya and placed under the Iranian flag.
According to AP, the ship’s captain has expressed his desire not to command the ship anymore, with the sailor’s lawyer saying it requires repairs that may impede its departure from Gibraltar. The additional delay may result in the ship being seized again, as the US has reportedly been manoeuvring to do the same.
Following Britain’s move to release the ship, the US has said that it was ‘gravely displeased’ by the decision. On Thursday, the US threatened to revoke any US visas granted to members of the crew as its view under terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds.
Mahmoud Vaezi, the Chief of Staff of the President of Iran, has called the ship’s release a ‘diplomatic victory’ for Iran, terming its seizure ‘an act of piracy orchestrated by the US administration’.
Grace 1 was seized by British Royal Marines on July 4, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the UK and Iran, with the latter following suit by seizing a British-flagged tanker, Stena Impero.