Iran to let South Korean tanker crew leave

Iran has agreed to allow the crew members of a South Korean ship it seized for alleged environmental pollution to leave the country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday.

“Following a request by the South Korean government..., the crew of the Korean ship, which was detained on charges of causing environmental pollution in the Persian Gulf, have received permission to leave the country in a humanitarian move by Iran,” Khatibzadeh told state media. The legal case against the vessel and its captain continues, he said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke by telephone with his South Korean counterpart Choi Jong-kun on the release of the crew of 19 and the issue of releasing $7 billion in Iranian funds frozen in South Korea because of U.S. sanctions.

“The two sides...shared the view that the release of the sailors was an important first step to restore trust between the two countries and they will work to resolve the issue of frozen Iranian assets in South Korean banks,” South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Choi also said South Korea will do what it can in a speedy manner while discussing consultations with the United States on the issue,” it said.

Iran has denied allegations that the seizure of the tanker and its 20-member crew amounted to hostage-taking, and said it was Seoul that was holding the Iranian funds “hostage”.

The freezing of some $7 billion of Iranian funds is linked to U.S. sanctions which Washington reimposed on Tehran in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Choi held talks in Tehran in early January on the release of the South Korean-flagged MT Hankuk Chemi, which was seized on Jan. 4 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Reuters

 

The Liberum

Vox Populi, Vox Dei
See full bio >
The Liberum runs on your donation. Fight with us for a free society.
Donation Form (#6)

More articles you might like

The Politics of Social Media Edits

You’re scrolling through your preferred social media platform, anno 2025—what Gen Z and Millennials call […]
- by The Liberum on 22/08/2025

Why Barbie defines the Normative Boundary

Whoever wants to understand the gravity of what happened in Noisy-le-Sec must read my book Exodus […]

ESSAY: The contract we never signed

Let’s be honest - if there was a contract, we didn’t read it. Not because […]

Despite threats and challenges, the Washington Agreements may bring lasting Peace to the South Caucasus

There was a celebratory mood at the White House on August 8, as U.S. President […]

Package Perfect – Conspiracies on the cheap

Pursuing my effort to solve the riddle of the JFK assassination (new CIA revelations), through […]

Trump vs Putin: What is really at stake

US President Donald Trump holds significant leverage over Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Facing a probable […]