Iranian state television reported Sunday that the British tanker seized by Iran is about to complete the legal process and may soon be released.
Iran seized the British tanker near the Strait of Hormuz on grounds of maritime violations; two weeks before the incident, the British military seized an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar, claiming that it had transported crude oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.
"I hope the process will be completed soon and the tanker will be released," Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told state television.
Iran has freed seven crew members of the Stena Impero tanker, flying the British flag and owned by Sweden, including a Russian, a Latvian and five Indians, after Britain released the Iranian tanker seized in Gibraltar. The tanker has 23 crew members.
An official at the Russian Embassy in Tehran said the remaining 16 crew members would stay on board until a decision was made on the fate of the tanker.
The Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency (IRNA) quoted Mousavi as saying that the released Iranian tanker had delivered its crude oil after landing at a Mediterranean port.
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