US Moves to Take Control of Iranian Tanker Seized by British Last Month

A small boat sails past Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 as it sits anchored after it was seized in July by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory on suspicion of violating sanctions against Syria, in the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain August 13, 2019. Reuters/Jon Nazca/File Photo

LONDON/GIBRALTAR—The United States applied on Thursday to seize an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar, halting its expected release at the last minute and preventing a possible swap for British-flagged tanker held by Iran.

The Grace 1 oil tanker was seized by British Royal Marine commandos in a landing in darkness off the coast of the British overseas territory on July 4.