The Iranian oil tanker, Adrian Darya 1 that turned off its tracker and wanted by the US, has been sailing just off the Syrian coast, satellite images show.
Adrian Darya 1 is an escaped Iranian vessel which was earlier seized by the British officials in Gibraltar, believed to have been carrying oil to Syria, which is, according to authorities is a violation of European Union sanctions on Syria.
After 6 weeks of detention, the Gibraltar court decided to release the tanker after Iran’s written guarantee that the Grace 1 (now named as Adrian Darya 1) would not be sailing to countries on the European Union sanctions list, after departing from the port.
Washington had attempted to extend the detention period of Grace 1, making a last-minute call, on the basis of having its links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which it has declared a terrorist organization. A call was rejected by Gibraltar court and the US blacklisted the Iranian vessel.
But images released on Saturday appeared to show it two nautical miles offshore.
The images, from US company Maxar Technologies, appeared to show the tanker very close to the Syrian port of Tartus on 6 September.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton tweeted that anyone who believed the ship was no longer headed for Syria was “in denial”.
“Tehran thinks it’s more important to fund the murderous Assad regime than provide for its own people,” he stated, alongside another satellite picture. “We can talk, but #Iran’s not getting any sanctions relief until it stops lying and spreading terror!”
There is however no confirmation that the ship is unloading its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. Neither Iran nor Syria has commented.
Adrian Darya just turned off its tracker that makes it harder to monitor its maneuverability and location.
The Iranian vessel, previously known as Grace 1 when it was detained off the British territory in July, has driven intense diplomatic tensions between Washington and Tehran, amid tensions in the strategically important, Strait of Hormuz.
Adrian Darya just turned off its tracker that makes it harder to monitor its maneuverability and location.
