Authorities in #Gibraltar have released the Iranian supertanker Grace 1, which was seized on July 4 on suspicion it was shipping 2.1m barrels of crude oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

The decision to release the ship was taken hours after the US launched a separate last-minute legal move to detain the vessel.

But Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that there was no US application currently before the court.

“That’s not before me,” he said. “There are no applications in relation to the US letters of request [for mutual legal assistance].”

The court heard that the Gibraltar authorities had lifted the detention of the Grace 1, but it was not immediately clear why that decision had been taken.

The Gibraltar Government has just published detailed reasons why the ship was released.

It said Gibraltar had solid documentary evidence the vessel was bound for Syria when it was detained after entering British #Gibraltar territorial waters for stores and spares.

But the Government of #Gibraltar has now received formal written assurances from the Iranian government that the ship will not discharge its cargo in #Syria .

On that basis, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has decided to lift the detention order and allow the ship to sail.