Gibraltar police released on Friday the four crew members of the Iranian Grace 1 tanker that Britain had impounded last week on suspicion of breaching EU sanctions against Syria.
The crew were released on bail and without charge.
Gibraltar police said earlier on Friday that they had arrested the two second mates from the tanker, a day after the vessel’s captain and chief officer were arrested.
In a statement, the police said all four crew members were granted bail with conditions. It did not elaborate, but said the investigation was ongoing and that the Grace 1 continues to be detained.
Iran has condemned Britain’s impounding of its tanker, warning of reciprocal measures.
Gibraltar said Friday that the vessel contained 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil.
On Thursday, London said three Iranian vessels tried to block a British-owned tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but backed off when confronted by a Royal Navy warship.
Iran denied that its vessels had done any such thing.
Tension between Iran and the West has increased a week after Britain seized the tanker and London said the British Heritage, operated by oil company BP, had been approached in the strait between Iran and the Arabian peninsula.
Britain is among European parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers, which US President Donald Trump pulled out of it last year, reimposing sanctions on Tehran.
Washington sharply tightened sanctions against Iran since May with the aim of bringing its oil exports to zero. Iran responded by stepping up production of enriched uranium beyond limits in the nuclear deal.
Britain’s seizure of the Grace 1 changed the diplomatic calculus after weeks in which Washington’s European allies have strained to appear neutral. They disagreed with Trump’s decision to quit the nuclear pact last year.
Although EU states have not followed Washington in imposing sanctions on Iran, they have sanctions in place that forbid selling oil to Iran’s ally Syria.
