Britain could be softening their position to allow for the release of Tehran’s oil tanker Grace 1 – seized by UK authorities in July – after the exchange of documents between the two countries, Iran media report.

IRNA news agency report Jalil Eslami, deputy head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, as claiming that a breakthrough in the Strait of Hormuz oil tanker crisis may be on the horizon, according to Reuters.

Britain is interested in releasing Iran’s oil tanker Grace 1 ... following the exchange of some documents, we hope the release will take place soon.

It would mark an about-turn from the UK government after they rejected the idea of a swap deal two weeks ago, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisting they were “not going to barter.” The British Foreign Office are yet to respond to Eslami’s comments concerning a potential release of Iran’s oil tanker.

Also on rt.com UK says no to tanker swap with Tehran, insists Iranian vessel was seized legally

British Royal Marines seized the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 near Gibraltar on July 4, claiming it was transporting oil to Syria, in violation of EU sanctions, which Iran denies.

Tehran responded to the move in tit-for-tat fashion, detaining a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz two weeks later. Iran claimed that the vessel, the Stena Impero, had been “violating international maritime rules.”

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