Captain and first lieutenant of detained Iranian tanker were arrested
The Gibraltar police announced that the captain and the first lieutenant of the Iranian supertanker “Grace 1” have been arrested on the charge of violating EU sanctions against Syria.
According to the Gibraltar police report, the captain of the ship was arrested on Thursday, July 4, and the first lieutenant was arrested on Thursday, July 11.
France News Agency has reported that both individuals are Indian citizens and have been arrested for violation of EU sanctions against Syria.
The Iranian supertanker Grace 1 was detained by the Royal British Navy in Gibraltar last week.
Gibraltar officials announced that the tanker carries Iranian oil and was planning on delivering it to Syria by going around the continent of Africa instead of through the Red Sea.
In response to the seizure of Grace 1, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday attempted to block the “British Heritage” tanker from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which failed due to the intervention of a British frigate following the tanker.
IRGC has denied the confrontation, but President Rouhani and several high-ranking military officials had threatened Britain about the consequences of detaining the Iranian tanker.