Iran warns of action against seized South Korean ship

Iran warned Monday that its seizure of a South Korean tanker in the Gulf must not be politicized, after the United States and France urged the Islamic Republic to release the vessel.

“We have repeated on several occasions … to the intervening parties, whether it is the United States or France, that the matter does not concern them at all and that they will not help to resolve an issue. technical problem if they politicize it, ”the Foreign Ministry said. spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the Hankuk Chemi and arrested its multinational crew of 20 near the strategic Strait of Hormuz a week ago.

The move comes as Tehran urged Seoul to release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea under US sanctions.

The United States and France called on Iran to release the ship.

A spokesperson for the US State Department called the seizure “part of a clear attempt to extort the international community to relieve the pressure of sanctions.”

South Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun arrived in Tehran on Sunday

with the aim of “negotiating an early release” of the tanker and his crew.