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updated 10:20 AM UTC, Dec 13, 2023

Iranian Oil Tanker Seized/Impounded In Gibraltar

Unic Press UK: Iran has summoned Britain’s ambassador over an Iranian oil tanker – a 330 metre (1,000 feet) Grace 1 vessel – seized/impounded by British forces in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The supertanker with its cargo is being held custody circa 2.5 miles south of Gibraltar, a contested area – the UK claims its British waters and Spain also lays claim to the territory.

In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)’s News Network, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Moussavi said:

“We declared to the ambassador that this move amounts to strange unconventionality, because the sanctions that they have announced are not based on the Security Council [resolutions] and the Islamic Republic of Iran does not accept this measure (seizure of the tanker),” the Press TV reported Thursday.

Moussavi added that the Spanish Foreign Ministry had confirmed that the United States is behind the decision to seize Iran’s supertanker along with the cargo on board.

In a statement, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said:

“We have reason to believe that the ‘Grace 1’ was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria. That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria. We have detained the vessel and its cargo.”


There’s been intense tensions between the U.S. and Iran over the years, escalating last year, May 8, 2018, when the U.S. government withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal – also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, (JCPOA) – and imposed another round of U.S. sanctions against Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump had claimed that the JCPOA – Iran nuclear deal – remains a bad deal for the world and the United States, insisting that a new agreement is long overdue.

Washington says it’s open to a negotiation on a fresh deal, but Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif said in May 2019 that there won’t be talks, labeling the U.S. a “bully.”

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