Gibraltar allows Iranian tanker to leave despite US detention request

Madrid, Aug 15 (AFP) Gibraltar's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favour of releasing an Iranian supertanker seized last month on suspicion of shipping oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, despite a US request to detain the vessel. Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that since Iran had guaranteed in writing that the destination of the Grace 1 would not be a country "subject to European Union sanctions... there are no longer reasonable grounds to suspect that the detention of the Vessel is required."

He added that the court had not received a written detention request from the United States. (AFP) ZH ZH