Muhammet Kursun
27 September 2019•Update: 27 September 2019
TEHRAN
Over two months after its seizure, a British oil tanker on Friday left Iranian waters after it was set free.
Oil tanker Stena Impero left the Gulf port city of Bandar Abbas to the Persian Gulf International Maritime Traffic Corridor, the official IRNA news agency said.
"[..] the ship's commander and crew had made a formal and written commitment that they had no claim," the news agency said.
On Monday, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said that the oil tanker was free to complete its voyage.
On July 19, the Iranian authorities seized the British oil tanker in Gulf waters "for not falling in line with maritime rules".
The seizure took place amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. after Washington backed out of a deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program and reimposed sanctions.
Tensions have risen since with the U.S. accusing Iran of attacking Saudi oil production facilities on Sept. 14 and announcing the deployment of an unspecified number of troops to Saudi Arabia.
* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
