Iran confirms formerly detained tanker 'sold oil at planned destination'

A tanker which was held in Gibraltar has reached its destination and sold the oil it was carrying.

2 min read

08 September, 2019

The tanker was held in Gibraltar [AFP]

An Iranian tanker at the centre of a dispute between Iran and Western powers has reached its destination and sold its oil, local media said.

“The tanker has gone to its destination, the oil has been sold,” spokesman Abbas Mousavi told a state television station without disclosing whether the crude oil had been delivered.

The tanker Adrian Darya 1, which went dark off Syria last week, has been photographed by satellite off a port in Syria.

The tanker, loaded with Iranian crude oil, was detained off the coast of Gibraltar by the UK navy in early July on suspicion of heading towards Tartous to offload oil in contravention of European Union sanctions on the Syrian regime.

Gibraltar authorities ultimately released the Iranian oil tanker last month, despite repeated US requests to seize the tanker, claiming that it is controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which it classifies as a terrorist organisation.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has previously alleged the Adrian Darya will head to Tartous to offload its 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, worth some $130 million.

Iranian officials have not said where the ship will go, only that its cargo has been sold to an unnamed buyer.

The Islamic Republic has also said it could not name the actual destination due to "economic terrorism" by the US and its sanctions on Iran's oil sales.

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