SEOUL– A senior diplomat at South Korea’s foreign ministry met Iran’s ambassador Monday after a conservative Tehran newspaper claimed Iran must block Seoul ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
South Korea’s deputy foreign minister, Yeo Seung-bae, held a meeting with Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and conveyed Seoul’s concerns about a published contribution in the Kayhan newspaper that Iran should block Korean ships in the strait due to disputes over Tehran’s assets frozen here under U.S. sanctions.
During the meeting, the Iranian envoy said the newspaper’s contribution was not in line with Tehran’s official stance and briefed Yeo about Iran’s stance over the matter, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps seized the MT Hankuk Chemi over environmental pollution allegations on Jan. 4 last year. The ship, which was traveling from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates, was carrying 20 crew members, including five Koreans.
The ship was released about three months later, but speculation had persisted that the seizure could be linked to Iran’s anger over its US$7 billion frozen in South Korea under U.S. sanctions.
Source: Yonhap News Agency