An Iranian official has confirmed that all legal steps to facilitate the release of the UK-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero have been completed and the vessel is free to leave.

“The legal work and administrative procedures for the release of the English tanker have been completed, but I have no information on the time of the release,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei said, according to Iranian news agency ILNA.

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Officials said on Sunday that the tanker, which is owned by Swedish shipping firm Stena Bulk, would be released soon after 65 days of detention.

The tanker was seized by Iranian authorities as it entered the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July during an escalating diplomatic spat between Tehran and London.

Tensions rose after British commandos and Gibraltar’s authorities seized an Iranian oil tanker on 4 July which they suspected of transporting fuel to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.

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