U.S. Makes Multi-Million Dollar Offer to Captain of Oil Tanker “Adrian Darya 1”
The “Financial Times” newspaper reported on a U.S. proposal made to the Indian captain of the “Adrian Darya” oil tanker. According to the report, the captain of this tanker was supposed to receive several million dollars from the United States in exchange for facilitating the seizure of the vessel.
News related to the “Adrian Darya 1” oil tanker continues to receive extensive media coverage. On Wednesday, September 13th (September 4th) reports emerged that the radar system of this oil tanker had been turned off. Now, news agencies are reporting, citing a report first published by the “Financial Times” newspaper, about the continuation of U.S. efforts to seize this oil tanker.
According to the report, the U.S. government allegedly offered millions of dollars to the captain of the “Grace 1” oil tanker, which after having its seizure lifted and being renamed “Adrian Darya 1,” was heading toward the Mediterranean Sea, to gain his cooperation.
The Indian captain of this oil tanker, named Akhilesh Kumar, was supposed to receive this sum in exchange for directing the vessel toward a shore where the United States could carry out another seizure.
Confirmation of “Financial Times” Report
According to reports, Brian Hook, head of the Iran Action Group at the U.S. State Department, sent an email to notify the Indian captain of this oil tanker about the proposal to pay several million dollars.
The French news agency reported that the report about the proposal to pay several million dollars to the captain of this oil tanker, which was published by the Financial Times, was also confirmed by a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department.
It should be recalled that the “Adrian Darya 1” oil tanker was seized on July 4th by the Gibraltar Maritime Authority with the accompaniment of the British naval fleet, on charges of carrying oil to Syria and violating that country’s sanctions.
Six weeks later, the Gibraltar Supreme Court ordered the lifting of the seizure. On August 20th, a U.S. court ruled for the re-seizure of the oil tanker and the confiscation of its oil cargo.
The “Grace 1” oil tanker, after having its seizure lifted and being renamed “Adrian Darya 1” under the Iranian flag, initially headed toward the shores of Greece and then toward the port of Mersin in Turkey. However, before reaching the port of Mersin, it changed course. The vessel reportedly set its course toward Syria.
The aforementioned oil tanker carries 2.1 million barrels of crude oil worth 130 million dollars and is under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Source: DW
