Stena Impero: Iran to free seven crew of seized British tanker

2019-09-04 15:00:50

Iran says it will free on humanitarian grounds seven of the 23 crew members of a Swedish-owned, British-flagged tanker seized in the Strait of Hormuz in July. The sailors - five Indians, one Latvian and one Russian - had already left the Stena Impero, a foreign ministry spokesman told state television. Iran accuses the vessel of "violating international maritime rules". The seizure came two weeks after an Iranian tanker was held off Gibraltar with the help of the Royal Marines. That ship, now called the Adrian Darya 1, was suspected of violating EU sanctions on Syria but it was released by Gibraltar on 15 August. US blacklists Iranian tanker 'bound for Syria'Iran, tankers and the Gulf crisis explainedThe Stena Impero was passing through international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that connects the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, on 19 July when it was detained by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.