Reuters
The South Korean Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that it is preparing to take a legal response to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s detention of an oil tanker flying the South Korean flag.
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The ministry stated that it is preparing to take the legal response as one of the possible measures to solve the detention issue, and added that it is conducting a process of verifying the truth of Iran’s claim that the seizure of the oil tanker resulted from environmental pollution, the controversy over whether the tanker sails in regional or international waters, and the commitment of the Iranian side With international law during the boarding process of a Korean oil tanker.
The ministry added that regardless of the legal status of the Korean tanker, and as long as there is no evidence of dangerous and intentional action of pollution that denies the simple right of passage for the ship, we believe that no violation of international law has occurred.
It stated that it is communicating with the Iranian side through diplomatic channels such as the Iranian ambassador to South Korea and the Korean ambassador to Iran, and plans to send a government delegation to Iran and visit First Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Jong-gun to Iran soon.
It added that it seeks cooperation with the United States, the European Union, the State of Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman, as well as Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia, from which the detained foreign sailors are.
Regarding the background of the detention, the ministry stated that news reports indicate various possibilities, such as requesting the use of frozen Iranian funds from Korean banks and sending Iran a message to the United States, but it is focusing its efforts to solve the current situation with all open possibilities instead of forecasting according to speculation.
The ministry sent a member of its consular staff at its embassy in Iran to the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, where the oil tanker docked there, and seeks to meet with the crew of the tanker.
The oil tanker “Hancock Kimi” was on its way from the port of Jubail in Saudi Arabia to the Emirates. It was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and had 20 sailors on board, including 5 South Korean sailors.
Source: Yonhap
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