Iran will free seven crew members of detained British oil tanker

Iran said on Wednesday that it will free seven crew members of the detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero.

The seven, who are part of a 23-member crew comprising Indian, Russian, Latvia and Filipino nationals, were allowed to leave the Stena Impero tanker on humanitarian grounds and will be able to leave Iran soon, Iranian state television reported.

The vessel’s owner said it had yet to receive any official confirmation of the release date.

The Swedish-owned Stena Impero was detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on July 19 in the Strait of Hormuz waterway for alleged marine violations, two weeks after Britain detained an Iranian tanker off the territory of Gibraltar. That vessel was released in August.

“We have no problem with the crew and the captain and the issue is violations that the vessel committed,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.

“We are very pleased that for seven crew members their ordeal may soon be over, and they may return to their families, however we cautiously await official confirmation of their release date,” Erik Hanell, Stena Bulk’s president and chief executive, said in a statement.

“We view this communication as a positive step on the way to the release of all the remaining crew, which has always been our primary concern and focus.”

The company said the remaining 16 crew members would remain onboard to safely operate the vessel.

The seizure of the Adrian Darya 1 Iranian tanker exacerbated tensions between Tehran and the West that have been growing since the United States last year quit an international accord curbing Iran’s nuclear program and reimposed economic sanctions.