Syed Zafar Mehdi
11 January 2021•Update: 11 February 2021
TEHRAN
Tensions between Iran and South Korea over the seizure of an oil tanker in the Gulf escalated Monday after talks between the two sides failed to produce a breakthrough.
South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Jong-Kun, who arrived in Tehran on Sunday to negotiate the release of the seized tanker, held talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi.
Araqchi urged the visiting South Korean delegation to "avoid politicizing the issue," according to Iran's state media while pressing Seoul to release over $7 billion worth of Iranian frozen assets in the country.
He said "legal proceedings" in the tanker case should be allowed to go ahead, in an indication that Tehran was not willing to accede to the demand of visiting South Korean officials.
The South Korean flagged ship Hankuk Chemi was carrying 7,200 tons of ethanol when it was seized by Iran's elite revolutionary guard corps' naval forces near the Strait of Hormuz Friday over an alleged "violation of maritime environmental laws."
South Korean authorities, however, have rejected reports about the possible violations of environmental rules by the tanker.
The vessel had set off from the Saudi Arabian port of Al-Jubail and was headed to South Korea via the UAE, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement.
Twenty crew members, including South Korean nationals, as well as others from Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar, were also taken into custody by the IRGC.
The issue of frozen Iranian assets in South Korea has been a sticking point that led to deep fractures in the two countries' bilateral relations in recent years.
Araqchi termed the freezing of Iran's funds in South Korean banks as "unacceptable" and said it was "more because of Seoul's lack of political will than the US sanctions."
Jong-Kun, for his part, reassured Iranian officials that providing access to their frozen funds in South Korean banks was "one of the priorities" of the South Korean government, state media said.
On Tuesday, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei had dismissed allegations that the seizure of the South Korean tanker amounted to "hostage-taking," saying it was Seoul that has been holding $7 billion in Iranian assets "hostage."
The latest incident comes amid Iran's increased assertiveness in the Gulf waters after the US recently sent warships and submarines to the region, signaling an escalation in tensions.
Last week, Iran conducted its first major drill involving combat drones in the central province of Semnan, followed by a military drill in the Gulf. It also unveiled a strategic missile base along its southern shores.
