Seyed Abbas Mousavi said on Monday that in case the diplomatic efforts do not lead to constructive results and South Korea continues to obey the US’ policies, Iran will summon South Korea’s ambassador to Tehran and force Seoul to pay off its debts through international tribunals.
He underlined the Foreign Ministry’s efforts to unfreeze the Iranian assets blocked by South Korea, noting that President Hassan Rouhani has recently issued an order to resort to legal procedures to restore the petrodollars held in South Korea.
Mousavi also criticized the illegal and unilateral US sanctions against Iran, saying that “the master-servant relationship” between Washington and Seoul is an issue relating to them, but South Korea “must be sincere in the bargain with Iran and honor its commitments.”
Last December, Seoul-based Chosun Ilbo newspaper cited officials as saying that Iran’s Foreign Ministry had called in the South Korean ambassador to demand payment of 7 trillion won ($6 billion) for oil it sold to the Asian country.
Iran is struggling to return the funds frozen by foreign banks amid a shortage of hard currency in the country which has been contending with the coronavirus pandemic over the past months.
Earlier last weeak, Mousavi said Tehran has already given an official warning to Seoul over the frozen assets.
South Korea is citing the US sanctions as an excuse for not releasing Iran's money, Mousavi added.
MR/TSNM2308485