Iran says tanker last seen off coast of Syria has reached its destination, and oil has been sold

Detained British tanker may be released ‘soon’, foreign ministry spokesman says

Iran has announced that oil from the once-detained tanker Adrian Darya-1 “has been sold” after the ship was photographed by satellite off the coast of Syria in recent days.

A US official said America would continue to impose sanctions on whoever purchases oil from Iran, or does business with the Islamic Republic’s Revolutionary Guards.

“We will continue to put pressure on Iran and as President [Trump] said there will be no waivers of any kind for Iran’s oil,” said Sigal Mandelker, US treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

The Adrian Darya 1, which went dark off the coast of Syria earlier this week, was photographed by satellite very close to the Syrian port of Tartus.

The ship appeared to have turned off its transponder in the Mediterranean Sea west of Syria, Refinitiv ship-tracking data showed on Tuesday.

The vessel, formerly named Grace 1, was detained by British Royal Marine commandos off Gibraltar on 4 July as it was suspected to be en route to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.

In retaliation, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz two weeks later.

Gibraltar released the Iranian vessel on 15 August after receiving formal written assurances from Tehran the ship would not discharge its 2.1 million barrels of oil in Syria.

“The tanker has gone to its destination, the oil has been sold,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, told state TV without disclosing whether the crude oil had been delivered.

Iran may soon release the detained British tanker, Stena Impero, after the completion of legal steps, he said.

“I hope the procedures will be completed soon and this tanker will be released,” Mr Mousavi told the station.

Earlier this week, Iran freed seven of the 23 crew members of the British-flagged tanker.