UK could release Iranian oil tanker

DUBAI - British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt sought to ease tensions with Iran on Saturday, saying a seized tanker held in Gibraltar would be released if Teheran guaranteed the ship would not head to Syria.

He said he had a "constructive call" with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, who he said assured him that Teheran "is not seeking to escalate" tensions between the countries.

"I reassured him our concern was destination not origin of the oil on Grace One," a tanker seized off the coast of the tiny British territory of Gibraltar on July 4, Hunt tweeted.

Police in Gibraltar said on Friday they arrested four crewmen of the ship after intercepting it on July 4 in the Strait of Gibraltar, south of the Iberian Peninsula, on suspicion of transporting Iranian crude oil to Syria, in violation of the European Union's sanctions against Syria.

A senior Spanish official had said the interception was carried out at the request of the United States, but later Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told parliament no other government had asked the territory to act.

Iran's ambassador to Britain Hamid Baeidinejad on Sunday urged London to release the oil tanker or wait for a response from Teheran, according to Tasnim news agency.

Baeidinejad said that Britain has breached marine regulations by its "illegal act and piracy".

Iran has also denied that the vessel was on its way to Syria.

"If the Iranian oil tanker is not released, the UK measure will not be left unanswered," Baeidinejad was quoted as saying.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has also warned Britain against the "consequences" of the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker.

The tanker's interception came on the heels of already high tensions in the Persian Gulf as the United States government continues its campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.

US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers a year ago and has since reimposed tough sanctions on Teheran's oil exports, exacerbating an economic crisis that has sent its currency plummeting.

The US has also sent thousands of troops, an aircraft carrier, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and advanced fighter jets to the Middle East in recent weeks.

Iran recently begun surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in its 2015 nuclear deal, saying these moves can be reversed if the other parties to the agreement come up with enough economic incentives to effectively offset the US sanctions.

Agencies - Xinhua

(China Daily 07/15/2019 page11)