On Thursday, the government of Gibraltar said it had detained a tanker loaded with two million barrels of crude oil at the request of the US. Gibraltar Chief Minister said that his government “had reasons to believe” that the tanker was headed to the Banyas Refinery in Syria, belonging to an entity that is subject to the EU sanctions against Syria.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the EU over the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Gibraltar, saying that this move contradicts the EU’s statements on its intention to preserve the Iranian nuclear deal.

The ministry decried the seizure, stressing that it deliberately aimed to aggravate the situation around Syria and Iran.

Addressing the reaction of the United Kingdom and the United States to the incident in the strait, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was evident that the detainment of the vessel had been planned in advance.

The officials warned that the repercussions of the ship seizure could be heavy and the responsibility will lie with those who increase pressure on Tehran and Damascus.

Source: Sputnik