Royal Marines seized the oil tanker off Gibraltar for making an
attempt to take oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.
Iran has threatened to capture a British tanker after Royal Marines held one of their vessels suspected of taking oil to Syria.
Mohsen
Rezai, a senior commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, said on
Twitter: "If Britain does not launch the Iranian oil tanker, it is the
(Iranian) authorities' duty to trap a British oil tanker."
It comes as the crew of the seized ship, Grace 1, are being interviewed via officials.
British
Royal Marines seized the ship off the coast of Gibraltar on Thursday
for attempting to take oil to Syria in violation of European Union
sanctions.
A spokesman for the Gibraltar authorities stated the
28-strong crew of the Iranian oil tanker are being interviewed as
witnesses, now not criminals.
The spokesman stated the crew, who
have remained on board the exquisite tanker, were in general Indians
with some Pakistanis and Ukrainians.
Police and customs officials
remained on board the vessel to lift out their investigation but the
Royal Marines have been stood down.
Gibraltar's Supreme Court has granted a 14-day extension for authorities to detain the tanker.
European
Union sanctions against the government of Syria took impact in May
2011, rapidly after the begin of President Bashar al Assad's bloody
crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators that has led to the country's
protracted civil war.
Iran, a shut ally of Assad, is additionally
beneath a US sanctions regime supposed to bar all international income
of Iranian oil.
It used to be imposed after US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from a nuclear deal with Tehran last year.
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