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US Will Enforce Sanctions on Iran Tanker, Official Says

Reuters

   WASHINGTON -The United States willaggressively enforce its sanctions to
   prevent the private sectorfrom assisting an Iranian oil tanker that is
   traveling throughthe Mediterranean and that Washington wants seized, a
   StateDepartment official said Thursday.

   "The shipping sector is on notice that we will aggressivelyenforce U.S.
   sanctions," the official told Reuters days afterwarning countries not
   to allow the tanker to dock.

   Ship tracking data have shown the ship, theAdrian Darya,formerly
   calledGrace 1, last heading toward Greece, althoughGreece's prime
   minister said it was not heading to his country.

   The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, warnedthat the United
   States would act against anyone who directly orindirectly helped the
   tanker.

   "All parties in the shipping sector should conductappropriate due
   diligence to ensure that they are not doingbusiness with nor
   facilitating business for, directly orindirectly, sanctioned parties or
   with sanctioned cargo," theofficial warned.

   The ship was released from detention off Gibraltar after afive-week
   standoff over whether it was carrying Iranian oil toSyria in violation
   of European Union sanctions.

   Soon after the detention order was lifted, a U.S. federalcourt ordered
   the seizure of the vessel on different grounds,but Gibraltar rejected
   that petition.

   Tehran said any U.S. move to seize the vessel again wouldhave "heavy
   consequences."

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