Greece ‘monitoring closely’ Iranian tanker, FM sources say
Greece’s Foreign Ministry is “monitoring closely” developments concerning the Iranian tanker and “is in contact, through diplomatic channels, with the US,” according to diplomatic sources cited by state-run news agency ANA-MPA on Tuesday.
The same sources said the US’s view on the issue is well-known and concern all states and ports in the Mediterranean.
Iranian tanker Grace 1, renamed the Adrian Darya 1, was seized by British Royal Marines near Gibraltar in July 4 on suspicion of carrying oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.
A US court issued a warrant for the seizure of the tanker, but Gibraltar said it could not comply with that request because it was bound by EU law. The tanker was allowed to sail on Thursday.
According to ship tracking data, it is heading toward the port of Kalamata in southern Greece.
Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis said earlier on Tuesday that no “formal request” has yet been submitted to Greek authorities by the tanker to dock at the port of Kalamata, or any other port.
A State Department official said the US has conveyed its “strong position” to the Greek government about the tanker, adding that any efforts to assist Adrian Darya could be considered as providing material support to a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, which has immigration and potential criminal consequences.
