RTFri, 16 Aug 2019 22:15 UTC
© Reuters/Jon NazcaIranian oil tanker Grace 1 sits anchored, with its name and Panama's flag removed, after the Supreme Court of the British territory lifted its detention order, in the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain, August 16, 2019.
The US has ordered the seizure of newly-freed Iranian oil tanker
Grace 1, charging the ship with illegally using the US financial system to sell oil to Syria to support the IRGC after Gibraltar released the vessel.
The Justice Department has unsealed a warrant ordering the seizure and forfeiture of the Iranian tanker, all of the oil it is carrying, and $995,000, claiming the Iranians illegally used the US banking system to finance the shipment of oil to Syria to support the IRGC, which the US designated a terror group earlier this year as Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran ramped up.
Accusing the ship of
violations of bank fraud and money laundering laws, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and terrorism statutes, the US complaint alleges "multiple parties affiliated with the IRGC" used voyages like that of
Grace 1 to support illegal activities and claims
"a network of front companies" laundered millions of dollars through these shipments.
Gibraltar released the Iranian tanker after claiming to receive a written assurance from her captain that the vessel was not bound for Syria as the UK Royal Marines who seized it last month had alleged,
though Iran has denied providing such an assurance. Despite multiple formal US requests and attempts to hold up the departure in court - which Iran's ambassador to the UK called "desperate, last-minute efforts" -
Grace 1 was finally permitted to leave the UK territory.
The ship has been renamed "Adrian Darya" and fitted with an Iranian flag for its onward journey at its owner's request, according to Iranian state media. Meanwhile, the US has warned of "serious consequences" for its crew - though those consequences appear to be limited to barring them from travel to the US.
Gibraltar lifted the detention order for the vessel on Thursday, affirming in a statement that there are
"no longer any reasonable grounds for the continued legal detention of the Grace 1 in order to ensure compliance with the EU Sanctions Regulation."
Comment: How America imagines the world sees it:
More from
Sputnik 17/8/2019: Iranian tanker on standby to leave, despite US attempts to detain it
Iranian vessel the Grace 1, which has been caught up in a heated diplomatic dispute between Tehran and the West, was given permission to leave Gibraltar on 15 August, with the local authorities confirming on Saturday that the US Department of Justice is still seeking to detain the tanker on a number of allegations.
A shipping agent for Iranian supertanker the Grace 1 has claimed that the vessel is prepared to leave Gibraltar in "24 to 48 hours", despite a last-minute effort by the United States to seize it again, reported AP.
On Saturday the managing director of Astralship, Richard de la Rosa, said logistical preparations had been put into motion, with a new crew of Indian and Ukrainian nationals on standby to take command of the ship.
Data from Refinitiv tracking on Saturday briefly showed the Iranian tanker carrying 2.1 million tonnes of Iranian oil had changed its position status off Gibraltar to 'underway,' but by 12:00 GMT, it said the vessel was still anchored, reported Reuters.
On Friday, the US Justice Department issued a warrant for the seizure of Iranian supertanker the Grace 1. According to it, the vessel, all the oil on board, and $995,000 are subject to forfeiture based on violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), bank fraud, money laundering, and terrorism statutes.
In addition, the document stresses that "a seizure warrant and a forfeiture complaint are merely allegations. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government", according to the Justice Department.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif slammed the US attempt to seize Grace 1 just hours before Gibraltar was poised to set it free as piracy.
Fixated, petty and doubling down, the US also did this:
US State Dept. slaps Iranian supertanker with visa ban after its release from Gibraltar
Comment: How America imagines the world sees it:
More from Sputnik 17/8/2019: Iranian tanker on standby to leave, despite US attempts to detain it Fixated, petty and doubling down, the US also did this:
US State Dept. slaps Iranian supertanker with visa ban after its release from Gibraltar