US asks EU to condemn Iran as its tanker shipped oil to Syria

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday (October 9) demanded the European Union (EU) condemn and hold Iran responsible for its tanker Adrian Darya 1 carrying oil to Syria.

The satellite photo shows the Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1 in the coast of Syria (photo: AP)

Pompeo posted on his Twitter “oil from the #AdrianDarya1 has been offloaded in Syria, proving that Iran lied to the UK and Gibraltar ... EU members should condemn this action, uphold the rule of law, and hold Iran accountable”.

The Iran’s oil tanker Adrian Darya 1, formerly named Grace 1 had been captured in July by the UK for an accusation of violating EU sanctions. However, after nearly one month, Gibraltar authority decided to free this tanker despite the US’s warrant for holding it.

Moreover, Iran sent its guaranteed letter to Gibraltar authority to affirm that the oil tanker will not ship oil to Syria, but, the US showed the satellite photo of Adrian Darya 1 tanker in Syria on September 7 after this tanker turned off its tracking system which revealing its location in the coast between Lebanon and Syria.

The UK’s foreign minister Dominic Rabb also accused the Iran’s oil tanker of selling crude oil to Assad regime in Syria on September 10 “Iran has shown complete disregard for its own assurances over Adrian Darya 1. This sale of oil to (Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s) brutal regime is part of a pattern of behavior by the Government of Iran designed to disrupt regional security”.

In spite of the US and Britain’s condemnation, Iran released the British – flagged oil tanker Stena Impero on September 27.

Reuters, The Guardian ( Van Nguyen )