Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 19 august 2019
Iranian tanker sought by US heads to unknown destination

By ARITZ PARRA er Stena Impero, which re-
HERNAN MUÑOZ mains held by the Islamic
Associated Press Republic. Analysts had said
GIBRALTAR (AP) — An Ira- the Iranian ship’s release
nian supertanker hauling by Gibraltar could see the
$130 million worth of light Stena Impero go free.
crude oil that the U.S. sus- Gibraltar’s government
pects to be tied to a sanc- said Sunday it was allowing
tioned organization has the Iranian tanker’s release
lifted its anchor and begun because “The EU sanctions
moving away from Gibral- regime against Iran - which
tar, marine traffic monitor- is applicable in Gibraltar - is
ing data showed late Sun- much narrower than that
day. applicable in the US.”
The trail left by GPS data on In a last-ditch effort to stop
Marinetraffic.com, a vessel the release, the U.S. un-
tracking service, showed sealed a warrant Friday
the Iran-flagged Adrian to seize the vessel and its
Darya 1, previously known cargo of 2.1 million barrels
as Grace 1, moving shortly of light crude oil, citing vio-
before midnight. The tank- lations of U.S. sanctions as
er slowly steered Southeast well as money laundering
toward a narrow stretch of and terrorism statutes.
international waters sepa- Renamed Adrian Aryra 1 super tanker hosting an Iranian flag sails in the waters in the British U.S. officials told report-
rating Morocco and the territory of Gibraltar, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. ers that the oil aboard the
southern tip of the Iberian Associated Press ship was worth some $130
Peninsula. than U.S. sanctions on Iran. immediately responded to. West after President Don- million and that it was des-
The vessel had been de- The vessel’s next destina- Iran’s ambassador to Brit- ald Trump pulled Washing- tined for a designated ter-
tained for a month in the tion was not immediately ain, Hamid Baeidinejad, ton out of Tehran’s nuclear ror organization to conduct
British overseas territory for known. had earlier announced on deal with world powers more terrorism.
allegedly attempting to An on-duty officer at the Twitter that the ship was over a year ago. The unsealed court docu-
breach European Union Port Authority of Gibraltar expected to leave Sunday Shortly after the tanker’s ments argued that Iran’s Is-
sanctions on Syria. Gibral- declined to comment on night. detention in early July near lamic Revolutionary Guard
tar authorities rejected an the ship’s moves and de- The tanker’s release comes Gibraltar — a British over- Corps are the ship’s true
eleventh-hour attempt by ferred questions to govern- amid a growing confronta- seas territory — Iran seized owners through a network
the United States’ to reseize ment offices. Messages left tion between Iran and the the British-flagged oil tank- of front companies.q
the oil tanker, arguing that with the Gibraltar govern-
EU regulations are less strict ment press office were not Leaked UK memos warn of food, drug

shortages in Brexit chaos

By RAPHEL SATTER
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Secret Brit-
ish government documents
have warned of serious dis-
ruptions across the country
in the event that the U.K.
leaves the European Union
without a trade deal on
Oct. 31, according to The
Sunday Times.
The newspaper published
what it said were three
pages worth of “planning
assumptions” detailing
what the British govern- Demonstrators walk a flock of sheep through the streets as part
ment expects in the case of a protest against Brexit, in central London, Thursday, Aug. 15,
of a sudden, “no-deal” exit 2019.
from the EU. Associated Press
Among the most serious: in the government docu- able to renegotiate the
“significant” disruptions to ments have long been exit Brexit deal struck with
the supply of drugs and floated by academics and Brussels by his predecessor,
medicine, a decrease in economists, they’ve been Theresa May.
the availability of fresh repeatedly dismissed as His own officials, however,
food and even potential scaremongering by propo- have warned that with a
fresh water shortages due nents of Britain’s departure no-deal Brexit, the sharing
to possible interruptions of from the EU. of law enforcement data
imported water treatment British Prime Minister Bo- and the health of Britain’s
chemicals. ris Johnson has said he is crucial financial services in-
Although the grim sce- ready to leave the EU re- dustry could be in jeopardy
narios reportedly outlined gardless of whether he is after Oct. 31. q