From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Greece says it won’t assist Iranian tanker sought by US
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleATHENS, Greece — Greece says it won’t assist an Iranian supertanker sought by the US that’s in the Mediterranean Sea, believed headed for a Greek port.
Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis says Greece is under pressure from US authorities, which claim the Iran-flagged Adrian Darya 1 is tied to a sanctioned organization.
Varvitsiotis says the tanker is too big for any Greek port and can’t legally unload its $130 million worth of light crude at EU refineries.
The ship left Gibraltar on Sunday after being held up for a month for allegedly attempting to breach EU sanctions on Syria. Gibraltar said Iran provided assurances the tanker wouldn’t unload its cargo in Syria.
Varvitsiotis tells private Antenna TV Wednesday Athens sent “a very clear message” it will not facilitate the crude’s transportation to Syria.
— AP
The Times of Israel Community.