Gibraltar Police Say Four Crew Of Seized Iranian Tanker Freed On Bail

Police in Gibraltar say all four arrested crew members of the Iranian oil tanker seized on suspicion of carrying oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions have been freed on bail.

The police said the crew members were released under unspecified conditions but that no charges had been filed, adding that an investigation was ongoing and that the tanker, the Grace 1, continues to be impounded.

All four of the detained crew members were Indian citizens, officials said. The Panamanian-registered tanker carried 28 personnel, mainly Indian, Pakistani, and Ukrainian nationals.

Earlier in the day, police in the British territory said that two of the tanker's second mates had been detained following the arrest of the captain and chief officer on July 11.

British Royal Marines on July 4 boarded the Grace 1 off the coast of Gibraltar and seized it over suspicions it was breaking sanctions by taking oil to Syria.

Tehran warned of reciprocal measures if the tanker was not released, with a commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) threatening on July 5 to seize a British ship in retaliation.

On July 11, Britain said three Iranian vessels “attempted to impede” a British oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea, but backed off when confronted by a British warship.

Iran denied trying to stop the British tanker.

Tehran on July 12 again called on Britain to immediately release the oil tanker.

"This is a dangerous game and has consequences ... the legal pretexts for the capture are not valid ... the release of the tanker is in all countries' interest," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said, according to state news agency IRNA.

Musavi also said "foreign powers should leave the region because Iran and other regional actors are capable of ensuring the regional security."

"Should Britain let itself be influenced and drawn into dangerous games by the US, we would advise them to rather not do that," Mousavi said.