Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi hosted his South Korean counterpart, Choi Jong-Kun, at the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
Araghchi noted that Korean banks have illegally frozen Iran’s financial resources due to the fear of US sanctions and the expansion of bilateral relations will only be meaningful if this issue is resolved, adding that South Korean officials have not shown enough political will in this regard.
He also called on his Korean counterpart to make serious efforts to tackle the problem.
Araghchi further maintained that the seizure of the Korean tanker in the Persian Gulf was only due to environmental pollution and urged the Korean diplomat to avoid politicizing the issue.
Choi Jong-Kun also stressed that providing Iran with access to its resources in Korea is one of the priorities of the Korean government, and Seoul is determined to pursue this issue until a final solution is found.
The naval force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) impounded on Monday a South Korean-flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf waters for repetitive violation of maritime environmental law.
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