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South Korea making diplomatic efforts to release tanker seized by Iran
Kang Kyung-wha said she responded to her counterparts in Iran on Monday and the ministry is now in talks with diplomats in Tehran and Seoul to resolve the issue, Yonhap said.
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A picture obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim on January 4, 2021, shows the South Korean-flagged tanker being escorted by Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy after being seized in the Gulf. (Agence France Presse/Tasnim News)
S
outh Korea's foreign minister said on Tuesday she is making diplomatic efforts to secure the release of a South Korean-flagged tanker seized by Iran, Yonhap news agency reported.
Kang Kyung-wha said she responded to her counterparts in Iran on Monday and the ministry is now in talks with diplomats in Tehran and Seoul to resolve the issue, Yonhap said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps seized the tanker in Gulf waters and detained its crew, Iranian media said on Monday.
Agence France-Presse reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guards had seized a South Korean-flagged tanker in Gulf waters for breaking "environmental laws", at a time of heightened tensions with the United States.
South Korea demanded the release of the Hankuk Chemi and its multinational crew of 20 and deployed an anti-piracy unit to the area, close to the strategic Straits of Hormuz.
The Guards said on their Sepahnews website that the ship carrying 7,200 tonnes of oil chemical products "was seized by our force's (navy) this morning".
"This tanker was headed from Saudi Arabia's Al Jubail port and was seized due to the repeated infringement of maritime environmental laws," it added.
South Korea's deputy foreign minister was due to visit Tehran in the coming days, according to Iranian officials, who want South Korea to release billions in assets held because of US sanctions.
The seizure follows days of high US-Iranian tensions marked by the first anniversary of the US assassination of Iran's revered military commander Major General Qasem Soleimani in a Baghdad drone strike.
The United States Sunday reversed a decision to bring the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz home from the Gulf, with the Pentagon citing "recent threats" by the Islamic Republic.
On Monday, Iran said it had started the process to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity, a move that quickly drew international concern.
