Greece Releases Iranian Tanker Despite US Pressure

On Tuesday, the Iranian Ports and Shipping Organization issued a statement agency highlighting that it has initiated the process of implementing the sentence in Greece to return the seized oil from the vessel.

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"Despite the U.S. order to detain the tanker and seize the assets in favor of this country and the US-Greece agreement on legal assistance, the order to return the cargo to its owner was finally issued and the Greek government issued the implementation of the judgment, well, we are now witnessing the release of the detained ship and the return of its contents," the document reads.

According to Iran's Ports and Shipping Organization, the move was decided thanks to the "timely and authorized action" of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the efforts of relevant agencies and authorities. Reuters reported that Iran had filed an appeal against the preliminary ruling allowing the U.S. to seize the oil from the Iranian vessel and that the Greek Court of Appeal had accepted its request. The Iranian embassy in Athens, the Greek capital, confirmed the alluded report.

Greek authorities illegally seized an Iranian-flagged tanker last April when it made an emergency stop in Greek waters due to a technical failure. Athens then approved the transfer to the U.S. of the Iranian oil contained in the detained tanker in May. Tehran branded the action an "act of international piracy" and demanded that Washington return its crude oil to the Persian country because the Greek measure flagrantly violated international laws and regulations on the Law of the Sea.

On May 27, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) reported the seizure of two Greek oil tankers for committing violations in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

Social networks lit up after the seizure of the Greek ships by Iran, and many users considered the Persian country's decision as a "tit-for-tat policy" in the face of harassment from the West.

Iran has called on Greece not to allow long-standing relations between the two countries to be affected "by miscalculations, including banditry on the orders of a third party."