Iran to free seven crew members of British – flagged Stena Impero oil tanker

Iran said it will release seven crew members of the British oil tanker Stena Impero, seized by Iran after two weeks Iran’s oil tanker was detained in Gibraltar on July 4.

British oil tanker Stena Impero detained by Iran on July 19 (photo: Sky News)

Iran has informed that seven members of the British’s Stena Impero oil tanker, contained Indian citizens will be free from Iran, after nearly two months being holding, according to Iran’s state TV on Wednesday.

Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Abbas Mousavi stated “We have no problem with the crew and the captain and the issue is violations that the vessel committed”.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps captured the British oil tanker Stena Impero on July 19 in Strait of Hormuz for an accusation of violating marine rules, weeks after the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, known as Adrian Darya 1 at the present had been seized by British Royal Marines in Gibraltar for a suspicion of transferring oil to Syria as breaching the EU sanctions.

The Gibraltar authority, then, had set the Iran’s oil tanker free in spite of the US’s intention to hold this vessel in August following the letter from Iran to ensure that its tanker will not carry oil to Syria.

However, the US had continued making attempts to seize this vessel by threatening to punish any country supporting it and even had imposed sanctions to the Iranian oil tanker’s captain, condemned the tanker were bringing oil to Syria

The Iran’s Adrian Darya 1 oil tanker turned off its tracking system on Tuesday (September 3) when showing its location in the coast between Lebanon and Syria before.

The Iran’s new move which freeing the members in British oil tanker Stena Impero is believed as the exchange for the release of Adrian Darya 1 tanker which can be a door for the Stena Impero tanker to be permit to leave Iran.

Reuters, Sky News ( Van Nguyen )