According to Ali Rabiei, Iranian government's spokesperson, the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero is free to go, two months post its capture in the Gulf. The tanker will soon begin sailing from the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas to international waters.
“The legal process has finished and based on that the conditions for letting the oil tanker go free have been fulfilled and the oil tanker can move," Rabiei said.
The tanker was captured by IRGC navy in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19 for ignoring international maritime rules and distress calls.
The move was however seen as a tit-for-tat move for capture of Grace 1, an Iranian oil tanker by British Royal Marines in Gibraltar. It was found to be in violation of American sanctions as it was transporting oil to Syria. Grace 1 was released after being captured for a month by British forces.