The US says it's unfortunate that an Iranian tanker at the centre of an angry confrontation between Iran and Washington has been allowed to leave Gibraltar and sail for Greece.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The British overseas territory lifted the detention order on the tanker on Thursday.
The next day, a US federal court warrant was issued for the seizure of the tanker and the oil it carries, but Gibraltar said it could not comply because it was bound by EU law.
The Grace 1, renamed the Adrian Darya 1, left anchorage off Gibraltar about on Sunday and is hearing to Kalamata in Greece.
"It's unfortunate that that happened," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News Channel about the ship's release.
Pompeo said that if Iran was successful in making a profit from the tanker's oil cargo, IRGC elite forces would have "more money, more wealth, more resources to continue their terror campaign.".
A US State Department official said Washington had conveyed its "strong position" to the Greek government, as well as to all ports in the Mediterranean about facilitating the tanker.
The official said assisting the ship could be considered providing support to a terrorist organisation.
Tehran said any US move to seize the vessel again would have "heavy consequences".
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appeared to downplay the possibility of military conflict with Washington.
Zarif said in Finland: "We are happy this ordeal has ended and I hope this will lead to less escalation."
He also said the US warrant had no legal basis and was politically motivated to "make more escalation."
Separately, a senior Iranian lawmaker said a crisis in Iran's ties with Britain, which included Tehran's seizure of a British-flagged vessel last month, would not be over until the tanker reached its destination.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on July 19 seized the Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz waterway for alleged marine violations, two weeks after the Grace 1 was commandeered.
"The crisis with Britain is not over. Britain has the primary responsibility for ending the oil tanker crisis," Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, of parliament's national security and foreign affairs committee, was quoted as saying by semi-official ISNA news agency.
Australian Associated Press
