U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of lying about an oil delivery to Syria through its oil tanker Adrian Darya 1, which was impounded by the United Kingdom off Gibraltar in July and released the following month despite last-minute efforts by the United States to halt its release.
“Oil from the #AdrianDarya1 has been offloaded in Syria, proving that Iran lied to the UK and Gibraltar. This terrorist oil will fund Assad’s war and Iran’s sectarian violence. EU members should condemn this action, uphold the rule of law, and hold Iran accountable,” tweeted Pompeo on Wednesday.
The oil tanker, previously called the Grace 1 and allegedly owned by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was reported carrying around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil last month worth $130 million and switched off its Automatic Identification System, fueling speculation that it is heading towards Syria, which would violate U.S. sanctions against Iran’s energy sector.
Oil from the #AdrianDarya1 has been offloaded in Syria, proving that Iran lied to the UK and Gibraltar. This terrorist oil will fund Assad’s war and Iran’s sectarian violence. EU members should condemn this action, uphold the rule of law, and hold Iran accountable. pic.twitter.com/4GPZpdYU8b
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 9, 2019
