Reuters
An official said that the South Korean Foreign Ministry is reviewing whether a senior diplomat will visit Tehran next Sunday as planned, after Iranian forces seized a tanker flying the South Korean flag.
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The seizure of the tanker comes at a time when relations between Tehran and Seoul are tense over Iranian assets frozen in South Korean banks due to US sanctions.
Iranian TV quoted a Tehran government official as saying that South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun is scheduled to discuss Iran’s request that South Korea release seven billion dollars of frozen assets in its banks.
A Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said, “The plan is not clear yet” regarding Choi’s visit.
The “Tehran Times” newspaper had reported earlier that Iran hoped to negotiate an agreement to use the frozen funds to “barter” doses of a vaccine to prevent Corona virus and other goods.
But South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wah, in response to a question about Iran’s intentions regarding the frozen assets, said that the safety of the ship’s crew is more important, noting that it is making diplomatic efforts to free the tanker.
Source: Reuters
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