Europe Resists U.S. Pressure Over Iranian Tanker
Gibraltar released the seized vessel just hours after the Justice Department sought to detain it, maintaining distance from Washington’s sanctions policies.
Time is of the essence.
Photographer: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images
Whatever your views on the rights and wrongs of detaining a tanker off the coast of Gibraltar for allegedly carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria, the decision of a Gibraltar judge to release the vessel shows that Europe’s policies toward Iran remain independent of the U.S.
It’s important to remember that British forces didn’t detain the ship because it was carrying Iranian crude, but because it was alleged to be taking crude — anybody’s crude — to Syria, which would violate European sanctions. The U.S. may want the tanker impounded to put further pressure on Iran, but the European Union has no sanctions against the Persian Gulf country’s oil exports.