US Court precedes Gibraltar Court Order – Issues warrant to seize Iran’s Supertanker
A US Court preceded Gibraltar’s Court Order by issuing warrant to seize Iran’s Supertanker.
Gibraltar’s court yesterday ordered the release of Grace 1 supertanker seized by the British Royal Marines on 4th July with the allegations of illegally transporting 2.1m barrels of oil to Syria.
Meanwhile a U.S. Court has parallel to the proceedings of Gibraltar’s Court issued a warrant for the seizure of the detained Iranian tanker.
Two weeks after Grace 1 was detained, on 19 July, Iran seized the British flagged tanker “Stena Impero” in the Strait of Hormuz with the allegations of violation of “international maritime rules” – but the international community and major powers consider this act of Iran as a tit for tat response.
The warrant, issued by a US federal court in Washington on Friday, is addressed to “the United States Marshals Service and/or any other duly authorized law enforcement officer”.
It called for the tanker and the oil on board to be seized. It has also ordered the seizure of $995,000 (£818,000) from an account at an unnamed US bank linked to Paradise Global Trading LLC, an Iranian company.
The justice department said the ship and the firm had been involved in violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, bank fraud, Money laundering and terrorism forfeiture statutes.
“A network of front companies allegedly laundered millions of dollars in support of such shipments,” Federal prosecutor Jessie Liu said.
She added the parties involved were linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the US regards as a foreign terrorist organisation.