Iran summons UK ambassador over 'illegal seizure' of oil tanker on way to Syria

Royal Marines help detain vessel believed to be carrying crude oil

Iran has summoned the British ambassador in Tehran over the “illegal seizure” of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar, Iranian state TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying.

British Royal Marines detained an oil tanker in Gibraltar suspected of carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions on Thursday – a dramatic step that could escalate confrontation between the West and Iran.

Iran claimed the seizure by Britain was “destructive” and could increase tensions in the Gulf.

The government in the British overseas territory say port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by the Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 supertanker on Thursday.

Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, says in a statement: “We have detained the vessel and its cargo. This action arose from information giving the Gibraltar government reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel, the Grace 1, was acting in breach of EU sanctions against Syria.”

“We have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas refinery in Syria.”

The EU imposed sanctions on the country in 2011 after Bashar al-Assad‘s crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators spiralled into civil war.

Prime minister Theresa May’s official spokesperson says: “We welcome this firm action to enforce EU sanctions against the Syrian regime and commend the Gibraltarian authorities involved in successfully carrying out this morning’s operation.”

“This sends a clear message that violation of the sanctions is unacceptable.”

The Foreign Office also welcomed the “firm action” by the Gibraltarian authorities.

Gibraltar reportedly detained the supertanker after a request by the United States to Britain, according to Spain’s acting foreign minister Josep Borrell.

Spain was looking into the seizure of the ship, and how it may affect Spanish sovereignty as it appears to have happened in Spanish waters, Mr Borrell says.

Spain does not recognise the waters around Gibraltar as British.

According to data firm Refinitiv, the vessel likely carried just over two million barrels of Iranian crude oil.

Tracking data reportedly showed that the tanker made a slow trip around the southern tip of Africa, instead of via Egypt’s Suez Canal, before reaching the Mediterranean.

It was documented as loading fuel oil in the Iraqi port of Basra in December, though Basra did not list it as being in port and its tracking system was switched off.

The 300,000-tonne tanker then reappeared on tracking maps near Iran’s port of Bandar Assalyeh, fully loaded.

The tanker’s detention comes at a particularly sensitive time as tensions between the US and Iran grow over the unravelling of a 2015 nuclear deal, which US president Donald Trump withdrew from last year.

Reuters contributed to this report.