This archive report was first published on 17 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, a Gibraltar judge ordered the release of the Iranian oil tanker, Grace 1, which was detained on July 4 on suspicion of illegally transporting oil to Syria.
However, the US Justice Department issued a warrant to seize the tanker, citing alleged violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, bank fraud, money laundering, and terrorism statutes.
The US claims it can seize the tanker and its 2.1 million barrels of oil, as well as $995,000 from an account at an unnamed US bank linked to Paradise Global Trading LLC, which is associated with businesses that act for Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
The US designates Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization.
Gibraltar's government had received assurances from Iran that the tanker would not sail to countries subject to European Union sanctions, including Syria.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo stated that the vessel would be able to leave as soon as the logistics had been figured out, and that the detention had deprived the Assad regime in Syria of more than $140 million worth of crude oil.
