A Greek court has ruled that the country must hand over Iranian oil to the United States from a Russian tanker that was detained in April.
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“Based on the court decision, it is expected that the cargo of the Lana tanker will be transferred to the United States, the costs of reloading will be borne by the US authorities. The ship is in the port of Karystos,” the press service said.
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The tanker Lana (former name – Pegas) under the Russian flag was detained at the berth of the Greek city of Karystos on April 19 on charges of violating anti-Russian sanctions. The fifth package of EU sanctions includes a ban on Russian ships entering European ports. There were 19 Russian sailors on board the ship. However, it later turned out that the structure that owns the tanker was not subject to EU prohibition measures.
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The Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported in early May that the US authorities demanded that the Greek judiciary seize the cargo and conduct an investigation. The US said the fuel being transported on the tanker is of Iranian origin and the company that will benefit from its sale is blacklisted by the US as suspected of financing terrorism. The Athens court decided to confiscate the cargo and hand it over to the United States, and the ship itself was released.
