Tehran announced Monday that it has released a British-flagged oil tanker Iran seized more than two months ago.
Iranian officials said Monday that the Stena Impero, a Swedish-owned British-flagged tanker which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had seized on July 19th, was now free to go, ending the on-going stand-off with Britain.
Revolutionary Guards forces captured the tanker in the Strait of Hormuz two weeks after the UK detained an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar. Britain released the Iranian tanker on August 18th, after receiving written assurances from Iran that it would not head to countries under European Union sanctions.
Monday’s announcement comes a day before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is slated to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
On Sunday, Iran signaled it was preparing to release the Stena Impero.
“After the issuing of the ruling for the end of detention of the English tanker Stena Impero this vessel will soon, and after the passing of 65 days, begin its movement from the port of Bandar Abbas toward international waters,” Allahmorad Afifipour, the head of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran in Hormozgan Province, said on Sunday.