British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt told his Iranian counterpart that Britain would facilitate the release of the detained Grace-1 oil tanker, if Tehran gives guarantees it would not go to Syria.
After “constructive” talks with Iran, Mr. Hunt said he was encouraged Iran has no desire to escalate the situation.
The tanker, seized on 4 July, was suspected of breaking EU sanctions. Iran claimed the seizure was “piracy”. While UK claimed that Iranian ships later tried to impede a British tanker.
Iran on Saturday reiterated its call for the ship’s release. It denies the tanker was taking oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.
