The top diplomats of South Korea and Iran discussed strengthening bilateral ties and the recent transfer of Tehran's frozen funds in Seoul on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.
Foreign Minister Park Jin and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, held talks Friday (local time) and agreed to advance bilateral relations through high-level communication, according to the ministry.
The ministers shared the assessment that the recent transfer of Tehran's frozen funds in Seoul to a third country was carried out smoothly and agreed to use the case as an opportunity to advance their ties.
The United States said last month that it was in negotiations with Tehran to transfer the frozen funds from South Korean banks to a special account in Qatar in exchange for the release of five U.S. citizens currently detained in Iran.
Bilateral relations have remained frayed over the reportedly US$6 billion in Iranian funds that had been frozen under U.S. sanctions, which were reimposed after former President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.
Source: Yonhap News Agency