Hours before the British territory Gibraltar was set to release Grace 1, an Iranian supertanker that Britain's Royal Navy seized July 4 on suspicions of smuggling oil to Syria, the U.S. put in a last-minute request Thursday to take custody of the supertanker instead. "The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered," Gibraltar's government said in a statement. "The matter will return to the Supreme Court of Gibraltar" Thursday afternoon. Britain's Foreign Office said "investigations conducted around the Grace 1 are a matter for the government of Gibraltar."
Britain's seizure of the Iranian tanker had sparked a diplomatic row with Tehran, and Iran's Revolution Guard Corps nabbed a British-flagged Swedish tanker, Stena Impero, on July 19. Last week, Britain said it will join the U.S. in having its Navy escort merchant ships past Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Gibraltar said releasing Grace 1 was part of a bid to "de-escalate" the situation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Week US terms and conditions -
Leo XIV vs. Trump: what will first American Pope mean for US Catholics?Today's Big Question New pope has frequently criticised the president, especially on immigration policy, but is more socially conservative than his predecessor
-
What's going on with the Beckhams?In the Spotlight From wedding tantrums to birthday snubs, rumours of a family rift are becoming harder to hide
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirementspeed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff displaySpeed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loomSpeed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
