Iran loses its ‘Grace’

An Iranian supertanker suspected of carrying crude oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions was detained in Gibraltar, which could further escalate Iran’s confrontation with the west. Authorities in Gibraltar did not say where the oil came from but specialised shipping trade publication Lloyd’s List said the Panamanian-flagged tanker was thought to be transporting crude from Iran. The Grace 1 vessel was halted in the early hours of Thursday by Gibraltar police and customs agencies, aided by a detachment of British Royal Marines in the British territory on the southern tip of Spain.

It was boarded when it slowed down in a designated area used by shipping agencies to ferry goods to vessels. “We have reason to believe that the ‘Grace 1’ was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria,” the territory’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said “That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.” The Grace 1 is a Panamanian-flagged tanker, according to the shipping trade publication Lloyd’s List. “We have detained the vessel and its cargo,” Picardo said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell told reporters the vessel was detained at the request of the United States. Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador to voice “its very strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure” of its ship. The diplomatic gesture lifted any doubt over Iran’s ownership of the vessel, which flies a Panama flag and is listed as managed by a company in Singapore.

Picardo said he had “written this morning to the Presidents of the European Commission and Council, setting out the details of the sanctions which we have enforced”. In a statement, Britain’s foreign office said: “We welcome this firm action by the Gibraltarian authorities, acting to enforce the EU Syria Sanctions regime”. European Union sanctions against Syria have been in force since late 2011.

The 28-member bloc has imposed sanctions on 277 Syrian officials including government ministers over their role in the “violent repression” of civilians. It has frozen the assets of some 72 entities and introduced an embargo on Syrian oil, investment restrictions and a freeze on Syrian central bank assets within the European Union. Gibraltar is a British overseas territory, a small rocky outcrop on Spain’s southern tip.