Iranian Oil Supertanker Bound for Syria Detained by Gibraltar, as Requested by United States

Authorities in Gibraltar said they intercepted an Iranian supertanker on Thursday, July 4, that was believed to be breaching European Union sanctions.

Royal Marine patrol vessel is seen beside the Grace 1 super tanker in the British territory of Gibraltar on July 4, 2019. Marcos Moreno/AP Photo

MADRID—Authorities in Gibraltar said they intercepted an Iranian supertanker on Thursday, July 4, that was believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Tehran’s crude oil to war-ravaged Syria.

A senior Spanish official said the operation was requested by the United States. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency called the incident “an illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker.”