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South Korean Delegation Heads to Iran Over Seized Oil Tanker

The South Korean delegation led by Koh Kyung-sok (L) is heading to Iran to negotiate the release of an oil tanker and its crew seized in strategic Gulf waters | AFP
The South Korean delegation led by Koh Kyung-sok (L) is heading to Iran to negotiate the release of an oil tanker and its crew seized in strategic Gulf waters | AFP
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South Korean Delegation Heads to Iran Over Seized Oil Tanker

The South Korean delegation led by Koh Kyung-sok (L) is heading to Iran to negotiate the release of an oil tanker and its crew seized in strategic Gulf waters | AFP
The South Korean delegation led by Koh Kyung-sok (L) is heading to Iran to negotiate the release of an oil tanker and its crew seized in strategic Gulf waters | AFP

A South Korean delegation left for Iran on Thursday to negotiate the early release of an oil tanker and its crew seized in strategic Gulf waters this week.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday it had seized the South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi -- which it said was carrying 7,200 tons of "oil chemical products" -- for infringing maritime environmental laws.

The Guards said the arrested crew were from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

The South Korean delegation, led by the director-general of the foreign ministry's Middle Eastern affairs department, boarded a plane early Thursday and was set to arrive in Tehran via Doha.

"I plan to meet my counterpart at the Iranian foreign ministry and will meet others through various routes if it will help efforts to resolve the issue of the ship's seizure," said Koh Kyung-sok, the chief delegate, before boarding the plane.

Iran's seizure of the tanker came after Tehran had urged Seoul to release billions of dollars of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea under US sanctions.

Iran was a key oil supplier to resource-poor South Korea until Washington's rules blocked the purchases.

South Korea's vice foreign minister is due to travel to Tehran next week to discuss the frozen assets, a visit that Seoul said would go ahead despite the seizure.

According to Iran's central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, the country has "$7 billion of deposits in South Korea" that can neither "be transferred nor do we get any returns on, while they ask us for the costs" of holding the funds.

The incident was the first seizure of a major vessel by the Iranian navy in more than a year.

In July 2019, the Guards seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero in the sensitive Strait of Hormuz for allegedly ramming a fishing boat and released it two months later.

It was at the time widely seen as a tit-for-tat move after authorities in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar detained an Iranian tanker and later released it over US objections.

Tehran denied the two cases were related.

The Guards seized at least six other ships in 2019 over alleged fuel smuggling.

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Iranian President: We Must Manage Relationship and Confrontation with the US Ourselves

Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
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Iranian President: We Must Manage Relationship and Confrontation with the US Ourselves

Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Tuesday for the “management” of the tense relations between Tehran and Washington, emphasizing the need to “deal with enemies with patience.” This statement comes a week after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
According to official media, Pezeshkian told current and former senior officials in the diplomatic sector that Iran cannot ignore its longstanding adversary, the United States.
“Whether we like it or not, we will have to engage with the United States on both regional and international fronts; therefore, it is better that we manage this relationship and confrontation ourselves,” he stated.
Pezeshkian was speaking at an “advisory” meeting on foreign policy with former Iranian FMs and members of his administration, including Ali Akbar Velayati and Kamal Kharazi, the top advisors to the Supreme Leader on international affairs and foreign policy, along with former foreign minister and head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi.
The Iranian presidency’s website quoted Pezeshkian as saying that his administration’s approach to foreign policy would be “within the framework of a comprehensive strategy aligned with the directives of the governing system,” indirectly referencing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The reformist-backed president stated: “We must treat our friends generously and approach our enemies with patience,” underscoring the importance of managing foreign relations and addressing international tensions to solve internal issues and promote development.
Several officials in Pezeshkian’s administration, along with pro-government newspapers, have hinted at discussions on the possibility of high-level negotiations with the Trump administration.
Earlier on Tuesday, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani stated that Iran would pursue whatever serves its “interests,” in response to a question on potential direct talks with the Trump administration.
“The government will strive to achieve whatever ensures the country’s interests and the values of the revolution,” she said, according to the government’s ISNA news agency.
She added that the final decision on negotiations rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council under his authority.