In this file photo taken on August 18, 2019, an Iranian flag flutters on board the Adrian Darya oil tanker, formerly known as Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar.That seemed to counter what senior advisers like Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton have said, laying out a long list of demands for Iran in any new deal with the U.S. That possibility seemed to fade this week, after U.S. special envoy for Iran Brian Hook said more sanctions would be coming and they "need to see some progress" on those demands first.
The final nail seemed to be hammered home in a phone call late Thursday between Trump and Macron, where Trump said "that dropping sanctions against Iran is not going to happen at this time," according to a White House spokesperson.
(MORE: US applies to seize Iranian tanker held in Gibraltar) Instead, the administration is turning to unusual moves to ratchet up the pressure on Iran, including direct outreach to ship captains and shipping companies, "warning them of the consequences of providing support" to Iran's oil industry, a State Department spokesperson told ABC News.
In particular, the U.S. offered $5 million to the captain of the Adrian Darya 1, a oil tanker carrying Iranian crude that was detained by authorities in Gibraltar at the request of the U.S., before it was released on a judge's order. The U.S. has tried to make an example of it by preventing it from offloading its oil in exchange for revenue that the U.S. says support Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite wing of its military the Trump administration designated a terrorist organization.
The ship's captain turned down the reward, which was communicated directly to him by email and radio transmission, the spokesperson confirmed.
Kaynak:Abcnews