Greek officials have ruled that the ship violated sanctions against Russia, and the violation turned out to be Western sanctions against Iran.
A spokesman for the Washington Department of Justice and the US Embassy in Athens declined to comment on the issue Thursday.
According to Greek media, the Lana tanker was carrying more than 100,000 tons of Iranian oil, in violation of US and European Union sanctions against Iran. The ship was temporarily arrested by Greek authorities on April 15, when it anchored in the port of Karistos.
It is interesting that the ship will be under the Russian flag. The tanker used to be called Pegas, and now – Lana. He was served by a crew of 19 Russians. According to the Greek Coast Guard, Greek officials suspected that the presence of this tanker in their waters violated Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, so they decided to arrest him until the circumstances are clarified.
Read also: Russia bribed Iran and Belarus by issuing record state loans in March – Russian media
It will be recalled that on May 9, Western media reported that Greece is helping Russia circumvent sanctions . Greek-flagged vessels carry oil to ports inaccessible to Russian ships.
