Waiting game: British tanker will not be released until court go-ahead, says Iran
Iran has said it is waiting for a court order before it can release a British oil tanker seized by its Revolutionary Guard.
The Stena Impero was impounded by Iranan authorities a month ago today for alleged marine violations.
Read more: Britain will join US to protect ships from Iranian attack
It followed the seizure of an Iranian ship, the Grace 1, by Royal Marines stationed in Gibraltar.
The Grace 1 oil tanker, which was allegedly breaking European sanctions on Syria, was released last week.
The ship was sailing to Kalamata in Greece this morning, according to shipping data, but not before it could change its name to Adrian Darya 1.
A US court on Friday signed an order for US authorities to seize the tanker, its oil and nearly $1m. But Gibraltar said it was bound by EU law and could not comply with the American request.
Washington claims that the ship has connections to Iran’s REvolutionary Guard, which the US seems a terrorist organisation.
Iran denies the tanker was on its way to Syria in the first place.
It comes amid rising tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz where the British ship was taken.
The price of oil ticked up this morning, with Brent rising 1.4 per cent to $59.44, after a drone attack hit a Saudi oil field on Saturday.
Read more: Iranian seizure of tanker ‘constitutes illegal interference’, UK tells UN
The attack, thought to have been launched by separatists in Yemen, did not hit production, Saudi Aramco said.
“A drone attack on oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia reminded markets geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are going nowhere anytime soon,” said Edward Moya at Oanda, a currency trader.