Iran�s Embassy in Greece says an Iranian oil tanker is to head back to the country soon, after a failed attempt by the United States to steal its cargo in line with Washington�s sanctions against the country.

�The operation involving the transfer of Iran�s stolen oil [back] to Lana's vessel is underway in Greece�s waters, and the vessel will soon head [back] to the country (Iran) with its complete cargo of oil,� the diplomatic mission said in a tweet on Friday.

The Greek authorities confiscated the vessel back in April, handing over its cargo of crude to an American tanker.

The move took place as means of Athens� abiding by the sanctions that Washington returned against Tehran in 2018 after leaving a historic deal between the Islamic Republic and world countries.

Reacting to the development, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Greek charg� d'affaires in Tehran in May and conveyed the Islamic Republic�s �strong protest� over the matter to the diplomat.

Later, the charg� d'affaires of Switzerland, which represents the US�s interests in the Islamic Republic, was also summoned by the Foreign Ministry and notified about Tehran�s protest at Washington�s violation of free trade laws.

Last month, however, the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece upheld a verdict issued earlier by a court of appeal in favor of the return of the oil cargo to the Iranian vessel. Celebrating the development at the time, the Iranian Embassy called it �another fiasco for pirates!�

 

 

By MEHR�