AGENCIES: The Iranian oil tanker at the center of a diplomatic dispute departed from Gibraltar after the British overseas territory rejected a US demand to seize the vessel.

According to media reports, the supertanker which had been detained since July 4 off the coast of Gibraltar lifted anchor on Sunday evening before 2300 GMT and started sailing south.

The ship has left and is “heading east and is about to join the international shipping lanes in the Strait of Gibraltar,” confirmed Al Jazeera.

Gibraltar court releases seized Iranian oil tanker