Iran 'seizes British-flagged oil tanker'

[AtW]

Gibraltar implemented EU laws and then took action on them whilst the offending ship was in its jurisdiction.

The problem isn't that - it was all legal. The problem is that Iran does not give a fook, so now they took 2 ships and might simply torpedo others in the future.

[meridian]

Your own initial response with EU legislation PDF suggests that it being "EU waters" is very much relevant. You did read it of course?

Being in EU waters is irrelevant? I'm not sure your understanding of meratime law is as comprehensive as you think.

Yes, I did read it. Did you? If a cargo or a ship is not banned, then where it is in the world is irrelevant.

Now, perhaps I’m wrong here, but kindly point me to the bit where exporting oil or petroleum INTO Syria is banned?

Alternatively, point me to any embargo on Iranian oil (an EU embargo, not a US one...)

[TheGreenBastard]

Yes, I did read it. Did you? If a cargo or a ship is not banned, then where it is in the world is irrelevant.

Now, perhaps I’m wrong here, but kindly point me to the bit where exporting oil or petroleum INTO Syria is banned?

Alternatively, point me to any embargo on Iranian oil (an EU embargo, not a US one...)

EU Restrictive Measures in Syria – FAQs | Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI)

This is relevant due to the use of EU territories (including maritime).

Please re-read your original PDF again.

[meridian]

Iran 'seizes British-flagged oil tanker'

Gibraltar implemented EU laws and then took action on them whilst the offending ship was in its jurisdiction.

Oh yeah, no Member State has ever gold-plated regulations when implementing them locally.

The original regulations list in the annexes the list of people and organisations that can have assets seized; the Gibraltar regulations expand on that, giving the Minister the power to make his own decision on which ships can be seized.

The problem isn't that - it was all legal. The problem is that Iran does not give a fook, so now they took 2 ships and might simply torpedo others in the future.

The first problem is that it “possibly” isn’t legal. And that’s all it needs for a rogue state like Iran to kick off an international incident.

The second problem is that the U.K. is being sucked into another of the USA’s proxy wars. The U.K. is so desperate for friends now, that it has lost any sense of diplomacy.

[meridian]

EU Restrictive Measures in Syria – FAQs | Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI)

This is relevant due to the use of EU territories (including maritime).

Please re-read your original PDF again.

Page not found?

I’ve reread it again. Three or four times. And searched the interwebs more.

I can find plenty of news sites that simply report that the ship was “heading for Syria in contravention of EU embargoes” but no actual regulations that state that the import of oil or petroleum into Syria is against our sanctions.

Article 6 appears to be the only one that applies, and that only appears to relate to the import of oil or petroleum into the Union (and not the other way around)

Article 6
It shall be prohibited:
(a) to import crude oil or petroleum products into the Union if they:
(i) originate in Syria; or
(ii) have been exported from Syria;
(b) to purchase crude oil or petroleum products which are located in or which originated in Syria;
(c) to transport crude oil or petroleum products if they originate in Syria, or are being exported from Syria to any other country;
(d) to provide, directly or indirectly, financing or financial assistance, including financial derivatives, as well as insurance and re-insurance, related to the prohibitions set out in points (a), (b) and (c); and
(e) to participate, knowingly and intentionally, in activities whose object or effect is, directly or indirectly, to circumvent the prohibitions in point (a), (b), (c) or (d).

[AtW]

The original regulations list in the annexes the list of people and organisations that can have assets seized; the Gibraltar regulations expand on that, giving the Minister the power to make his own decision on which ships can be seized.

Expand on that, yes.

Expand, the core is EU regulations.

And it doesn't even matter if it was just UK sanctions - those ought to be enforced as otherwise there is no point.

[meridian]

Expand on that, yes.

Expand, the core is EU regulations.

And it doesn't even matter if it was just UK sanctions - those ought to be enforced as otherwise there is no point.

I agree, if they were U.K. sanctions then they should be enforced, that’s not the question or the issue.

If the U.K. (Gibraltar) wants to gold-plate regulations, and then use U.K. armed forces to enforce them, then say internationally that this is a U.K. operation to enforce U.K. law. Don’t hide behind (possibly weaker) EU regulations and complain that the EU isn’t enforcing something that is not in EU law.

[BR14]

I agree, if they were U.K. sanctions then they should be enforced, that’s not the question or the issue.

If the U.K. (Gibraltar) wants to gold-plate regulations, and then use U.K. armed forces to enforce them, then say internationally that this is a U.K. operation to enforce U.K. law. Don’t hide behind (possibly weaker) EU regulations and complain that the EU isn’t enforcing something that is not in EU law.

the UK IS still a member of the EU.

in case you hadn't noticed, twat.

[Mordac]

UK was obliged to seize it due to EU sanctions.

You might think so, but:

EU sanctions only cover imports from Syria to the EU (which used to be almost all Syria's oil exports), not Syria's imports from elsewhere. Since the original uprising (2011), Syria no longer directly controls most of its oilfields, so much so that they now rely on imports, mostly from Iran.

So yes, there is an oil embargo of sorts, but it's only one-way*. And since Syria no longer has oil to export, it's a fairly pointless one.

*And there's no way of telling that from the EU's official confirmation of the extension of sanctions against Syria:

Syria: EU renews sanctions against the regime by one year - Consilium

Welcome to the Foreign Policy of the future, kids, it's so confusing even the Royal Navy can't fully understand it.

[AtW]

Iran got enough money to hire top London lawyers to contest legality of that ship stopping - instead they go for terrorist tactics: attacking tankers before this seizure happened