A new regional escalation has evolved as British Royal Marines seized a giant Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.
According to Reuters, ‘Grace 1’ tanker was impounded in the British territory on the southern tip of Spain after sailing around Africa, the long route from the Middle East to the mouth of the Mediterranean. The ship flies a Panama flag and is listed as managed by a company in Singapore.
In return, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador to voice "its strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure" of its ship.
US welcomed the ‘excellent’ British move as its National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Twitter: "America & our allies will continue to prevent regimes in Tehran & Damascus from profiting off this illicit trade."
Shipping data reviewed by Reuters suggests that the tanker was carrying Iranian oil loaded off the coast of Iran, although its documents say the oil is from neighbouring Iraq.
Reuters quoted analysts saying that while Europe has banned oil shipments to Syria since 2011, it had never seized a tanker at sea. Unlike the United States, Europe does not have broad sanctions against Iran.
"This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive. I imagine it was also coordinated in some manner with the U.S. given that NATO member forces have been involved," said Matthew Oresman, a partner with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who advises firms on sanctions.
On another hand, the incident might seem as new U.S. effort to halt all global sales of Iranian crude. Iran has long been supplying its allies in Syria with oil despite sanctions against Syria. This time, however, the U.S. sanctions are on Iran itself.
In Madrid, Spanish government, challenging British ownership of Gibraltar, considered the move to have been prompted by a U.S. request to Britain and appeared to have taken place in Spanish waters.
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