12 **^ Friday 16 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
US foiled in efforts to halt release of Iranian tanker
By Raf Sanchez
MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT
A SEIZED Iranian oil tanker is to be re-
leased by Gibraltar despite a last-min-
ute plea by US officials to have the
vessel turned over to them.
The ship, named Grace 1, was cap-
tured by Royal Marines on July 4 after
it was found to be violating EU sanc-
tions by carrying 2.1 million barrels of
crude oil to Syria.
Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gi-
braltar, said he had received written as-
surances from Iran that the ship would
not violate EU sanctions any further.
“In light of the assurances we have
received, there are no longer any rea-
sonable grounds for the continued le-
gal detention of the Grace 1 in order to
ensure compliance with the EU Sanc-
tions Regulation,” he said.
He said the emergency request forthe detention of the vessel, made yes-
terday morning by President Donald
Trump’s administration, would be con-
sidered separately.
The ship’s release will raise hopes
Tehran will free the Stena Impero, a
British-flagged tanker seized by Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard two weeks after
the Iranian vessel was seized.
However, although Grace 1’s captain
has been released from custody it is not
clear when the ship will set sail for Iran
or if the US will try to take further ac-
tion to prevent its departure.
The US did not immediately respondto Gibraltar’s decision to free the ship
and it is not clear if officials in Wash-
ington had given Britain any warning
they wanted to seize it.
Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister,
condemned the US effort to stop the re-
lease of the Grace 1.
“The US attempted to abuse the legal
system to steal our property on the
high seas. This piracy attempt is indica-
tive of [the] Trump administration’s
contempt for the law,” he said.
Mr Zarif gave no indication that the
Stena Impero would be released. Iran
has occasionally suggested an ex-change to free both tankers but never
made a formal offer.
A Foreign Office spokesman said
there could be “no comparison or link-
age between Iran’s unacceptable and
illegal seizure of, and attacks on, com-
mercial shipping vessels in the Strait of
Hormuz and the enforcement of EU
Syria sanctions by the Government of
Gibraltar”.
“Freedom of navigation for commer-
cial shipping must be respected and
international law upheld,” he added.
Iran seized the Stena Impero on July
19 and its 23 crew members, from In-dia, Russia, Latvia and the Philippines,
remain in custody at the port of Bandar
Abbas. Iran has also seized two other
tankers.
Tehran has repeatedly accused the
UK of seizing the Grace 1 as part of Mr
Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanc-
tions campaign against Iran. Britain
has denied the allegations.
British warships are now escorting
UK-flagged vessels through the Strait
of Hormuz as part of a US-led naval
mission to protect civilian shipping.Editorial Comment: Page 15Netanyahu
bars Muslim
Democrat pair
from Israel
By Raf Sanchez in Jerusalem
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU has barred
two Muslim-American Democrat con-
gresswomen from entering Israel after
Donald Trump said it would show
“great weakness” if he allowed them in.
The move will inflame tensions be-
tween the Israeli prime minister and
the Democratic Party but will also de-
light Mr Trump, who has repeatedly
targeted both women with racial at-
tacks. It may also set a precedent that
could see Jeremy Corbyn barred from
visiting Israel because he supports a
boycott of Israeli settlements in the oc-
cupied West Bank.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the
first Muslim women in the US con-
gress, were due to arrive this weekend
for a tour of Jerusalem and West Bank
Palestinian cities. Both have expressed
support for the Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, which
encourages boycotts of Israel in protest
against its treatment of Palestinians.
“It would show great weakness if Is-
rael allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib
to visit,” Mr Trump said on Twitter.
“They hate Israel & all Jewish people, &
there is nothing that can be said or
done to change their minds.”
Ms Omar last night released a state-
ment comparing the ban to Mr Trump’s
ban on people from Muslim-majority
countries entering the US.
“It is an affront that Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure
from President Trump, would deny en-
try to representatives of the US govern-
ment,” she said. “Trump’s Muslim ban
is what Israel is implementing.”
Squawking bird
makes mockery
of jihadists in
‘bloopers’ reel
By Josie Ensor
MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENTAL-QAEDA has released embarrassing
outtakes from an Isil propaganda video
of fighters in Yemen, in an attempt to
undermine its bitter rival.
The “blooper” reel, released by al-
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-linked
Hidayah Media Productions, shows a
kneeling militant trying to renew his
pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-
Baghdadi, leader of Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (Isil) but repeat-
edly being interrupted by a squawking
bird in the tree above.
The jihadist appears to be distracted
by the chirping, causing him to forget
his lines. He takes out notes while an-
other fighter can be heard telling him
to “stay calm, keep cool”.
After a number of stops and starts,
he is eventually told to place the paper
in front of where he is sitting so he can
read his lines. Two other men are also
shown to muddle their lines with one
repeating: “We send you our greetings
perfumed with musk.”
The media group does not reveal
how it got hold of the unedited video,
but it could have been handed over by
an Isil defector or taken from a cap-
tured base.
Analysts said the video, that al-Qaeda
titled “The Hollywood reality of al-
Baghdadi group – Part 2” was produced
by Isil’s branch in Yemen in 2017.
Isil and al-Qaeda have been waging a
deadly contest for territory, recruits
and influence in Yemen, where both
are battling Shia Iran-backed Houthi
militants.Ship at centre of sanctions
row to be freed as Tehran
condemns Trump’s request
to keep vessel detained
World news
One of the videos shows a miltant being distracted by a squawking bird, causing him to forget his lines. He is forced to read from his notes as another fighter tells him to stay calmРЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS