The supertanker Grace 1, which had been impounded in Gibraltar since its seizure in early July by British Marines on suspicion of carrying Iranian oil to Syria in violation of European sanctions, has been released from custody. The Iranian-owned vessel, which had sailed under a Panamanian flag, has since been renamed Adrian Darya and reflagged by Iran. On Aug. 16, a day after the Gibraltar Supreme Court ordered its release, reports from the scene indicated that the tanker was preparing to depart. However, it remained anchored off the coast of the British territory at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. In ordering the release, Gibraltar's high court rebuffed a request by the United States, which is pursuing a pressure campaign against the Islamic republic, to extend the tanker's detention after Iran offered assurances that the Adrian Darya would not head for the Baniyas refinery in Syria.