Britain seizes Iranian oil tanker headed to Syria, furious Tehran summons British ambassador over 'destruct... - Fox News

Iranian leaders have summoned the British ambassador as Tehran fumes over Britain's Thursday seizure of an Iranian tanker believed to be violating the European Union sanctions by providing crude oil to the Syrian regime.

British Royal Marines supported the authorities in Gibraltar in taking the vessel amid evidence that it was trying to circumvent the EU sanctions on the Syrian regime. A senior Spanish official said the operation was requested by the United States.

IRAN WARNS EUROPE IT 'WILL TAKE NEXT STEP' TO ENRICH URANIUM TO WEAPONS-GRADE LEVEL IF NEW DEAL ISN'T REACHED

Royal Marine patrol vessel is seen beside the Grace 1 super tanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, July 4, 2019. Authorities in Gibraltar said they intercepted Thursday an Iranian supertanker believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Tehran's crude oil to war-ravaged Syria. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)

The Iranian vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU’s Syrian Sanctions Regime.

The Iranian state-run news agency called the situation “an illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker” while an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman called the actions a “form of piracy” – prompting the UK’s foreign office to dismiss the claims as “nonsense.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi wrote in a tweet that British Ambassador Rob Macaire was summoned over the “illegal interception” of the ship and later said that the seizure was “odd and destructive.”

A Royal Marines vessel sails toward the Grace 1 super tanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, July 4, 2019. Spain's acting foreign minister says a tanker stopped off Gibraltar and suspected of taking oil to Syria was intercepted by British authorities after a request from the United States. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)

“It can cause an increase in tensions in the region,” he said in a live telephone interview on state television Thursday night.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, meanwhile, welcomed Britain's move, saying the seizure was “excellent news.”

IRAN SAYS ALLEGED US SPIES MIGHT FACE DEATH PENALTY

“America & our allies will continue to prevent regimes in Tehran & Damascus from profiting off this illicit trade,” Bolton said in a tweet.

The vessel carrying Iranian oil likely had over just over 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, according to the data firm Refinitv.

The seizure of the tanker comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Washington and Tehran, with the latter officially violating the 2015 nuclear deal this week by breaking through the deal put on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium – and has pledged to boost its enrichment on Sunday.

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The Iranian regime also shot down an American drone, prompting the Trump administration to consider military strikes on the country. The strikes were scrapped last minute by President Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-07-05 09:13:03Z
52780326163946

Sudan military council, opposition reach power-sharing agreement - Aljazeera.com

Sudan's ruling generals and a coalition of protest and opposition groups have reached an agreement to share power during a transition period until elections, in a deal that could break weeks of political deadlock since the overthrowing of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Both sides agreed to establish a joint military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation "for a period of three years or slightly more", Mohamed Hassan Lebatt, African Union (AU) mediator, said at a news conference on Friday.

Under the agreement, five seats would go to the military and five to civilians, with an additional seat given to a civilian agreed upon by both sides

The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the civilian leaders also agreed to launch a "transparent and independent investigation" into the violence that began on June 3 when scores of pro-democracy demonstrators were killed in a brutal military crackdown on a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum.

TMC deputy head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemeti, welcomed Friday's deal, which, he said, would be inclusive.

"We would like to reassure all political forces, armed movements and all those who participated in the change from young men and women … that this agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone," added Dagalo, who also heads the feared paramilitary unit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused by the demonstrators of crushing the sit-in outside the military headquarters.

Omar al-Degair, a leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an umbrella organisation of opposition groups, said the agreement "opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority, and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era". 

In a statement on Friday morning, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is part of the FFC, said the transition period would last three years and three months.

Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt (left), AU envoy to Sudan, sits next to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he shakes hands with an army general following a press conference in Khartoum [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]

The military would lead the sovereign council for the first 21 months, and a civilian would take over for the remaining 18 months, it said. The FFC would appoint a cabinet of ministers, the SPA said, adding that a legislative council would be formed after the appointment of the sovereign council and the cabinet. 

The two sides also agreed to set up a committee of lawyers, including jurists from the AU, to finalise the agreement within 48 hours. 

Sudan protesters demand accountability for killing of civilians (2:16)

Mass protests

The deal came after two days of talks following the collapse of the previous round of negotiations in the wake of the crackdown on the protest camp. Opposition medics say more than 100 people were killed in the dispersal and subsequent violence on June 3. Officials put the death toll at 62.

The TMC and the opposition coalition have been wrangling for weeks over what form Sudan's transitional government should take after the military deposed al-Bashir on April 11 after months of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

Protesters had remained in the streets following al-Bashir's toppling, fearing the generals intended to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian rule.

The AU and neighbouring Ethiopia stepped up mediation efforts to end the crisis and negotiations resumed earlier this week, following massive protests last weekend in which tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Sudan's main cities in the biggest show of numbers since the June 3 crackdown.

Sudanese protestors celebrate in the streets of Khartoum after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body [Ashraf Shazly/ AFP] 

'More guarantees'

In Khartoum, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the breakthrough. But many called for continued protests and pressure on the military to implement its side of the deal. 

"We would like to see many more guarantees from the TMC because they've made many promises on handing over power only to backtrack later on," said Mohamed Ismail, a 34-year-old engineer who was part of a crowd in Khartoum's al-Sahafa area.   

190701190837656

Ashraf Mohamed Ali, another protester, called the agreement a "good move for Sudan". 

"It is important to see the implementation of the deal on the ground because the TMC's actions over the past month proves this council is not serious about giving up power to civilians," he told Al Jazeera via telephone. 

"And so to have an agreement is in itself a good thing. I am happy but we want to see the deal being implemented." 

Welcoming the two sides' decision to launch an investigation into the June 3 killings, Ali said "any deal that doesn't include a real investigation isn't going to be satisfying for the majority of the civilians." 

The protesters were not happy about the possibility of Hemeti "being part of a new government", Ali said, referring to the RSF's role in dispersing the Khartoum protest camp.

"But this is the reality," he said. "The RSF control everything in Sudan. So if you want to make a deal or if you want to have a civilian government, you need to know how to deal with them, in a way that could serve your agenda and without dragging the country into war."

The United Arab Emirates, which backs the TMC, congratulated the two sides on the power-sharing deal.

"We hope that the next phase will witness the foundation of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a post on Twitter. 

Abu Dhabi will stand with Khartoum in "good times and bad times", he added. 

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/sudan-military-council-opposition-reach-power-sharing-agreement-190705013332385.html

2019-07-05 08:58:00Z
CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDE5LzA3L3N1ZGFuLW1pbGl0YXJ5LWNvdW5jaWwtb3Bwb3NpdGlvbi1yZWFjaC1wb3dlci1zaGFyaW5nLWFncmVlbWVudC0xOTA3MDUwMTMzMzIzODUuaHRtbNIBf2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vYW1wL25ld3MvMjAxOS8wNy9zdWRhbi1taWxpdGFyeS1jb3VuY2lsLW9wcG9zaXRpb24tcmVhY2gtcG93ZXItc2hhcmluZy1hZ3JlZW1lbnQtMTkwNzA1MDEzMzMyMzg1Lmh0bWw

Sudan military council, opposition reach power-sharing agreement - Aljazeera.com

Sudan's ruling generals and a coalition of protest and opposition groups have reached an agreement to share power during a transition period until elections, in a deal that could break weeks of political deadlock since the overthrowing of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Both sides agreed to establish a joint military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation "for a period of three years or slightly more", Mohamed Hassan Lebatt, African Union (AU) mediator, said at a news conference on Friday.

Under the agreement, five seats would go to the military and five to civilians, with an additional seat given to a civilian agreed upon by both sides

The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the civilian leaders also agreed to launch a "transparent and independent investigation" into the violence that began on June 3 when scores of pro-democracy demonstrators were killed in a brutal military crackdown on a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum.

TMC deputy head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemeti, welcomed Friday's deal, which, he said, would be inclusive.

"We would like to reassure all political forces, armed movements and all those who participated in the change from young men and women … that this agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone," added Dagalo, who also heads the feared paramilitary unit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused by the demonstrators of crushing the sit-in outside the military headquarters.

Omar al-Degair, a leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an umbrella organisation of opposition groups, said the agreement "opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority, and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era". 

In a statement on Friday morning, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is part of the FFC, said the transition period would last three years and three months.

Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt (left), AU envoy to Sudan, sits next to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he shakes hands with an army general following a press conference in Khartoum [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]

The military would lead the sovereign council for the first 21 months, and a civilian would take over for the remaining 18 months, it said. The FFC would appoint a cabinet of ministers, the SPA said, adding that a legislative council would be formed after the appointment of the sovereign council and the cabinet. 

The two sides also agreed to set up a committee of lawyers, including jurists from the AU, to finalise the agreement within 48 hours. 

Sudan protesters demand accountability for killing of civilians (2:16)

Mass protests

The deal came after two days of talks following the collapse of the previous round of negotiations in the wake of the crackdown on the protest camp. Opposition medics say more than 100 people were killed in the dispersal and subsequent violence on June 3. Officials put the death toll at 62.

The TMC and the opposition coalition have been wrangling for weeks over what form Sudan's transitional government should take after the military deposed al-Bashir on April 11 after months of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

Protesters had remained in the streets following al-Bashir's toppling, fearing the generals intended to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian rule.

The AU and neighbouring Ethiopia stepped up mediation efforts to end the crisis and negotiations resumed earlier this week, following massive protests last weekend in which tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Sudan's main cities in the biggest show of numbers since the June 3 crackdown.

Sudanese protestors celebrate in the streets of Khartoum after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body [Ashraf Shazly/ AFP] 

'More guarantees'

In Khartoum, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the breakthrough. But many called for continued protests and pressure on the military to implement its side of the deal. 

"We would like to see many more guarantees from the TMC because they've made many promises on handing over power only to backtrack later on," said Mohamed Ismail, a 34-year-old engineer who was part of a crowd in Khartoum's al-Sahafa area.   

190701190837656

Ashraf Mohamed Ali, another protester, called the agreement a "good move for Sudan". 

"It is important to see the implementation of the deal on the ground because the TMC's actions over the past month proves this council is not serious about giving up power to civilians," he told Al Jazeera via telephone. 

"And so to have an agreement is in itself a good thing. I am happy but we want to see the deal being implemented." 

Welcoming the two sides' decision to launch an investigation into the June 3 killings, Ali said "any deal that doesn't include a real investigation isn't going to be satisfying for the majority of the civilians." 

The protesters were not happy about the possibility of Hemeti "being part of a new government", Ali said, referring to the RSF's role in dispersing the Khartoum protest camp.

"But this is the reality," he said. "The RSF control everything in Sudan. So if you want to make a deal or if you want to have a civilian government, you need to know how to deal with them, in a way that could serve your agenda and without dragging the country into war."

The United Arab Emirates, which backs the TMC, congratulated the two sides on the power-sharing deal.

"We hope that the next phase will witness the foundation of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a post on Twitter. 

Abu Dhabi will stand with Khartoum in "good times and bad times", he added. 

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/sudan-military-council-opposition-reach-power-sharing-agreement-190705013332385.html

2019-07-05 08:36:00Z
CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDE5LzA3L3N1ZGFuLW1pbGl0YXJ5LWNvdW5jaWwtb3Bwb3NpdGlvbi1yZWFjaC1wb3dlci1zaGFyaW5nLWFncmVlbWVudC0xOTA3MDUwMTMzMzIzODUuaHRtbNIBf2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vYW1wL25ld3MvMjAxOS8wNy9zdWRhbi1taWxpdGFyeS1jb3VuY2lsLW9wcG9zaXRpb24tcmVhY2gtcG93ZXItc2hhcmluZy1hZ3JlZW1lbnQtMTkwNzA1MDEzMzMyMzg1Lmh0bWw

Sudan military council, opposition reach power-sharing agreement - Aljazeera.com

Sudan's ruling generals and a coalition of protest and opposition groups have reached an agreement to share power during a transition period until elections, in a deal that could break weeks of political deadlock since the overthrowing of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Both sides agreed to establish a joint military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation "for a period of three years or slightly more", Mohamed Hassan Lebatt, African Union (AU) mediator, said at a news conference on Friday.

Under the agreement, five seats would go to the military and five to civilians, with an additional seat given to a civilian agreed upon by both sides

The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the civilian leaders also agreed to launch a "transparent and independent investigation" into the violence that began on June 3 when scores of pro-democracy demonstrators were killed in a brutal military crackdown on a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum.

Omar al-Degair, a leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an umbrella organisation of opposition groups, said the agreement "opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority, and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era". 

In a statement on Friday morning, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is part of the FFC, said the transition period would last three years and three months.

Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt (left), AU envoy to Sudan, sits next to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he shakes hands with an army general following a press conference in Khartoum [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]

The military would lead the sovereign council for the first 21 months, and a civilian would take over for the remaining 18 months, it said. The FFC would appoint a cabinet of ministers, the SPA said, adding that a legislative council will be formed after the appointment of the sovereign council and the cabinet. 

The two sides also agreed to set up a committee of lawyers, including jurists from the AU, to finalise the agreement within 48 hours. 

Sudan protesters demand accountability for killing of civilians (2:16)

Mass protests

The deal came after two days of talks following the collapse of the previous round of negotiations following  the crackdown on the protest camp. Opposition medics say more than 100 people were killed in the dispersal and subsequent violence on June 3. Officials put the death toll at 62.

The TMC and the opposition coalition have been wrangling for weeks over what form Sudan's transitional government should take after the military deposed al-Bashir on April 11 in the wake of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

Protesters had remained in the streets following al-Bashir's toppling, fearing the generals intended to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian rule.

The AU and neighbouring Ethiopia stepped up mediation efforts to end the crisis and n egotiations resumed earlier this week, following massive protests last weekend in which tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Sudan's main cities in the biggest show of numbers since the June 3 crackdown.

Sudanese protestors celebrate in the streets of Khartoum after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body [Ashraf Shazly/ AFP] 

TMC deputy head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemeti, welcomed Friday's deal, which, he said, would be inclusive.

"We would like to reassure all political forces, armed movements and all those who participated in the change from young men and women … that this agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone," added Dagalo, who also heads the feared paramilitary unit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused by the demonstrators of crushing the sit-in outside the military headquarters.

'More guarantees'

In Khartoum, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the breakthrough. But many called for continued protests and pressure on the military to implement its side of the deal. 

"We would like to see many more guarantees from the TMC because they've made many promises on handing over power only to backtrack later on," said Mohamed Ismail, a 34-year-old engineer who was part of a crowd in Khartoum's al-Sahafa area.   

190701190837656

Ashraf Mohamed Ali, another protester, called the agreement a "good move for Sudan". 

"It is important to see the implementation of the deal on the ground because the TMC's actions over the past month proves this council is not serious about giving up power to civilians," he told Al Jazeera via telephone. 

"And so to have an agreement is in itself a good thing. I am happy but we want to see the deal being implemented." 

Welcoming the two sides' decision to launch an investigation into the June 3 killings, Ali said "any deal that doesn't include a real investigation isn't going to be satisfying for the majority of the civilians". 

The protesters were not happy about the possibility of Hemeti "being part of a new government," Ali said, referring to the RSF's role in dispersing the Khartoum protest camp.

"But this is the reality," he said. "The RSF control everything in Sudan. So if you want to make a deal or if you want to have a civilian government, you need to know how to deal with them, in a way that could serve your agenda and without dragging the country into war."

The United Arab Emirates, which backs Sudan's military, congratulated the TMC and protest leaders on the power-sharing deal.

"We hope that the next phase will witness the foundation of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a post on Twitter. 

Abu Dhabi will stand with Khartoum in "good times and bad times", he added. 

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/sudan-military-council-opposition-reach-power-sharing-agreement-190705013332385.html

2019-07-05 08:25:00Z
CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDE5LzA3L3N1ZGFuLW1pbGl0YXJ5LWNvdW5jaWwtb3Bwb3NpdGlvbi1yZWFjaC1wb3dlci1zaGFyaW5nLWFncmVlbWVudC0xOTA3MDUwMTMzMzIzODUuaHRtbNIBf2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vYW1wL25ld3MvMjAxOS8wNy9zdWRhbi1taWxpdGFyeS1jb3VuY2lsLW9wcG9zaXRpb24tcmVhY2gtcG93ZXItc2hhcmluZy1hZ3JlZW1lbnQtMTkwNzA1MDEzMzMyMzg1Lmh0bWw

Hong Kong Police Make First Wave of Protest Arrests - Wall Street Journal

Graffiti and umbrellas are seen outside the main chamber of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on July 3. Photo: anthony wallace/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

By

Chuin-Wei Yap

Chuin-Wei Yap
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @YapCW

Updated July 4, 2019 12:56 pm ET

HONG KONG—Police arrested and charged a dozen protesters suspected of involvement in antigovernment clashes and widened a hunt for others who joined a rampage through the city’s legislature.

The arrests signal that the government is pressing a newfound advantage, after it was caught off-guard by a wave of popular rallies that scotched its attempt to drive through an unpopular extradition law. Officials were forced to suspend the bill, which would have moved the semiautonomous city closer within Beijing’s legal jurisdiction. The concession emboldened younger activists to challenge the government more strongly.

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But Monday’s violent storming of the legislature, broadcast blow by blow on live television, shocked swaths of the city. Though many still say they understand that protesters were driven to frustration by the government’s intransigence, the mayhem handed an opening to Hong Kong’s government to take a tougher approach.

Beijing on Tuesday voiced its displeasure with the protests, calling the occupation of the legislature a challenge to the political arrangement that gives Hong Kong its limited autonomy—a suggestion that China would directly intervene if events spiral beyond Hong Kong’s control.

Police said Thursday that the 12 people who were arrested range in age from 14 to 36. They were charged with offenses including possession of offensive weapons, unlawful assembly and assaulting and obstructing a police officer. The charges relate to a confrontation between hundreds of protesters and police outside a flag-raising ceremony Monday morning to commemorate Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule from the British in 1997.

The charges against the 12 people relate to a confrontation between protesters and police outside a flag-raising ceremony Monday. Photo: tyrone siu/Reuters

Hong Kong’s handling of the unrest, and the Chinese government’s tightening grip on the city, have fueled a diplomatic spat between Beijing and London.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, one of two candidates to become the next prime minister, earlier this week called on Beijing not to use the protests as a “pretext for repression,” and urged the Chinese government to honor a 1984 agreement between the two countries to uphold the city’s autonomy.

“He seems to be basking in the faded glory of British colonialism,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a media briefing Wednesday. “The U.K. considers itself as a guardian, which is nothing but a delusion.”

The barbs continued as China’s ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, called a press conference to extend Beijing’s criticism of Mr. Hunt’s comments. In response, Britain’s Foreign Office summoned Mr. Liu for a dressing down.

The Chinese government has for years regarded the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration as “a historic document without realistic meaning,” state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

Two weeks ago in Hong Kong, police took an almost entirely hands-off approach as thousands of mostly young protesters surrounded and barricaded its headquarters, pelting the building with eggs and defacing its walls.

On Wednesday, police said officers had collected a large amount of evidence from the legislature building and were preparing to track down protesters involved in the storming of the Legislative Council on Monday.

“We will follow up on all illegal and violent acts,” the police statement said.

Protesters are planning another march on Sunday in a shopping area in Hong Kong frequented by mainland Chinese tourists, aimed at raising awareness among Chinese people of the recent events in Hong Kong.

Related

• Hong Kong Protests’ Violent Turn Tests Limits of Public Support
• China Hardens Line, Hinting It Could Intervene
• Hong Kong Protests Boil Over After Activists Occupy Legislature
• Protesters Besiege Police Headquarters (June 22)
• Next-Gen Protesters: ‘We Can’t Stay Out of the Way Anymore’ (June 17)
• Hong Kong Upheaval Puts Beijing in a Bind (June 16)
• Massive Crowds Take to Streets in ‘Last Fight’ for Hong Kong (June 9)

—Max Colchester in London and Yoko Kubota in Beijing contributed to this article.

Write to Chuin-Wei Yap at chuin-wei.yap@wsj.com

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2019-07-04 16:56:00Z
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Britain seizes tanker suspected of carrying oil to Syria, which could exacerbate Iran tensions - NBC News

LONDON — British Royal Marines seized an oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday accused of bringing oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that could escalate confrontation between the West and Iran.

The Grace 1 tanker was impounded in the British territory at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea after sailing around Africa from the Middle East.

Shipping data reviewed by Reuters suggests it had been loaded with Iranian oil off the coast of Iran, although its documents say the oil is from neighboring Iraq.

The authorities in Gibraltar made no reference to the source of the oil when they seized it under the authority of European sanctions against Syria that have been in place for years.

But the likelihood that the cargo was Iranian drew a link between the incident and a new U.S. effort to halt all global sales of Iranian crude, which Tehran has described as an illegal "economic war" against it.

European countries have tried to stay neutral in that confrontation, which saw the United States call off air strikes against Iran just minutes before impact last month, and Tehran amass stocks of enriched uranium banned under a 2015 nuclear deal.

In a statement, the Gibraltar government said it had reasonable grounds to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria.

"That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria," Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said. "With my consent, our port and law enforcement agencies sought the assistance of the Royal Marines in carrying out this operation."

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed Gibraltar's move, though the incident could also signal some tensions within Europe.

July 3, 201901:29

Spain, which challenges British ownership of Gibraltar, said the action was prompted by a U.S. request to Britain and appeared to have taken place in Spanish waters. Britain's Foreign Office did not respond to a request for comment.

July 3, 201901:29

While Europe has banned oil shipments to Syria since 2011, it had never seized a tanker at sea.

"This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive. I imagine it was also coordinated in some manner with the U.S. given that NATO member forces have been involved," said Matthew Oresman, a partner with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who advises firms on sanctions.

"This is likely to have been meant as a signal to Syria and Iran — as well as the U.S. — that Europe takes sanctions enforcement seriously and that the EU can also respond to Iranian brinkmanship related to ongoing nuclear negotiations."

Iran has long been supplying its allies in Syria with oil despite such sanctions.

But U.S. sanctions have been tightened sharply since May, effectively forcing Iran off of mainstream crude markets, making it desperate for alternative ways to sell oil and more reliant on its tanker fleet to store supplies it cannot sell. The sanctions have also choked off Tehran's Syrian allies, causing fuel shortages in government-controlled areas.

Ship mapping records from data firm Refinitiv show that in the latest case the Grace 1 sailed to the Mediterranean around the southern tip of Africa, instead of via Egypt's Suez Canal. The 300,000-tonne Panamanian-flagged tanker is registered as being managed by Singapore-based IShips Management Pte Ltd. Reuters was unable to establish contact with them for comment.

It was documented as loading fuel oil in the Iraqi port of Basra in December, though Basra did not list it as being in port and its tracking system was switched off. The tanker then reappeared on tracking maps near Iran's port of Bandar Assalyeh, fully loaded.

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2019-07-04 15:36:00Z
52780326163946

Gibraltar Seizes Syria-Bound Tanker Thought to Be Carrying Iranian Oil - The New York Times

LONDON — The authorities in Gibraltar on Thursday detained a supertanker that they said was carrying crude oil to Syria, a violation of European Union sanctions against Syria.

Spain said the vessel had been detained at the request of the United States, and Iran summoned the British ambassador over what a Foreign Ministry spokesman called an “illegal” seizure. American and British officials had no immediate response on Thursday.

Shipping experts said that the tanker, the Grace 1, appeared to be carrying Iranian cargo in the Strait of Gibraltar, in an apparent attempt to circumvent United States sanctions imposed by President Trump to choke off Iran’s exports of oil and petrochemical products.

Companies that monitor international shipping say that the vessel turned off its electronic tracking devices as it sailed into Iranian waters, then turned them on again after leaving — a tactic often used to evade the sanctions, though ships can still be followed through satellite photography.

[Read about other ships vanishing in plain sight to evade sanctions on Iran.]

The government of Gibraltar, a British territory contested by Spain, declined to comment on the cargo’s origin, but addressed its destination.

“We have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria,” Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar, said in a statement. “That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.”

Spain’s acting foreign minister, Josep Borrell, told Spanish news media that the oil tanker had been seized following “a request from the United States to the United Kingdom.”

Mr. Borrell, who is set to take over as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said that the Spanish government had been kept informed about the seizure, and would study whether it violated its territorial water claims. Spain does not recognize Britain’s sovereignty over Gibraltar, which dates to a 1713 treaty.

“We’re looking at which way this affects our sovereignty, in as far as it took place in waters whose sovereignty we understand to belong to Spain,” Mr. Borrell said, according to the Europa Press news agency and other news reports.

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Sayed Abbas Mousavi, said in a post on Twitter, that Britain’s ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, had been summoned to the Iranian Embassy over the seizure of the vessel.

The British Foreign Office had no immediate response on Thursday afternoon. The United States National Security Council also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Samir Madani, a co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, which follows maritime traffic using satellite data, said the ship was anchored near the Iranian oil terminal at Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf in mid-April. Later, he said, it sat deep in the water, indicating that it was carrying oil from Iran.

The tanker, which exceeds the size limits for the Suez Canal, sailed around Africa to reach the Mediterranean, ending up in Gibraltar for unexplained reasons.

“For some odd reason they decided to go to Gibraltar,” Mr. Madani said.

Various shipping websites list the tanker as a 300,000-ton vessel more than 1,000 feet long, built in the 1990s and flying the flag of Panama.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/world/middleeast/oil-tanker-gibraltar-syria-iran.html

2019-07-04 14:27:00Z
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