Tasnim � Chairman of the Iranian Parliament�s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mojtaba Zonnour said an oil tanker belonging to the country that was seized by British forces in Gibraltar earlier this month will be freed soon.

�The British have seized our supertanker through bullying and piracy,� Zonnour told reporters in the central city of Qom on Thursday.

�We have started our legal and diplomatic efforts in various dimensions to secure the release of the tanker,� he said.

According to international regulations, the British cannot continue to hold the tanker and, therefore, it will be released soon, the lawmaker stated.

The British Royal Marines seized the giant Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on July 4 for trying to take oil to Syria allegedly in violation of EU sanctions.

Tehran maintains that the supertanker was not bound for Syria and its seizure has taken place at the behest of the US.

Iran�s Foreign Ministry has summoned the British envoy to Tehran several times since the capture in protest at the UK navy�s move.