Iran Frees South Korean Ship Crew

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Iran has granted exit visas to the crew of a South Korean vessel that was seized in the Persian Gulf in early January, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

In a statement on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said the crew members of the South Korean ship have been permitted to leave Iran “in a humanitarian gesture”.

He said the ship crew have obtained permits to leave Iran upon a request from the government of South Korea and cooperation from the Iranian Judiciary.

The legal procedures concerning the case of the offending ship and violation of law by its captain are still going on, the spokesman added.

Khatibzadeh further noted that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea Choi Jong Kun have held a telephone conversation about an immediate release of Iran’s frozen funds in South Korea and the “effective mechanisms” to use those assets.

Iranian naval forces seized South Korean-flagged oil tanker HANKUK CHEMI on January 4 for creating environmental hazard.

The tanker, which had departed from Saudi Arabia’s Al Jubail port, was carrying 7,200 tons of oil chemical materials in violation of environmental regulations.

Tasnim News Agency

Tasnim News Agency, which claims to be a private news agency in Iran but is reported be close to the IRGC, was launched in 2012. Its purpose is to cover a variety of political, social, economic and international subjects along with other fields.

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