South Korea reviewing diplomatic options of Iran tanker seizure

Image credits: Iranian gunboats in the Gulf

South Korea’s foreign ministry is reviewing whether a senior diplomat would be visiting Tehran on Sunday as planned, an official said, after Iranian forces seized a South Korean-flagged chemical tanker in Gulf waters and detained its crew.

The incident comes amid tensions between Tehran and Seoul over Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks due to U.S. sanctions. Iranian state TV cited a Tehran government official as saying Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun had been due to discuss Iran’s demand that $7 billion in frozen funds be released.

In Seoul a foreign ministry official told Reuters “the plan is unclear as of now” regarding Choi’s visit.

Iranian media said on Monday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps had seized the tanker Hankuk Chemi over pollution violations. The vessel was carrying 7,200 tonnes of ethanol.

South Korea’s foreign minister said on Tuesday she is making diplomatic efforts to secure the release the tanker, Yonhap news agency reported.

Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that she had first responded to her counterparts in Iran on Monday and the ministry is now in talks with diplomats in Tehran and in Seoul to resolve the issue.

Iranian state television quoted Saeed Khatibzadeh, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, as saying the ship had been seized for “polluting the sea”.

Last Sunday the Tehran Times newspaper reported Iran was hoping to negotiate an agreement to use the frozen funds to “barter” for coronavirus vaccine doses and other commodities.

The South Korean foreign ministry did not have an immediate comment on that report.

Asked about Iran’s intentions for the frozen assets, Kang said the safety of the ship’s crew was more important, Yonhap said.

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

- by The Liberum on 05/07/2025

The Wolf among Jackals: Azerbaijan’s Battle against Russia and Iran

Bordered by a humiliated Russia to the north and a defeated Iran to the south, […]

Managing the Paradox

Special contradictions characterise the war in the Middle East. The enemies and friends of old […]

Azerbaijan’s pushback against Russia and Iran is Redefining its Regional Role

The South Caucasus is emerging as a critical subsystem in the evolving architecture of Eurasian […]

Russia & Iran: Partners in defeat?

The Israeli-American attack on the Islamic Republic has clearly shown that Iran is on its […]
- by The Liberum on 19/06/2025

Precision Warfare: How Trump and Netanyahu are Tag-Teaming Khamenei

Most people assume the Western world is intent on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. […]

The Last Card on the Table: Baghdad and the Balance of the New Middle East

As the Middle East reshapes itself in the wake of seismic shifts, including the October […]