South Korean Officials Head to Tehran for Seized Oil Tanker Talks Published January 7th, 2021 - 07:49 GMT
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Highlights
Delegation to negotiate release of tanker, crew seized by Iranian authorities in waters of Persian Gulf
A South Korean delegation on Thursday departed for Tehran to negotiate an early release of an oil tanker and its crew members seized by Iranian authorities, according to local media.
The delegation led by Koh Kyung-sok, director-general of the Foreign Ministry s Africa and Middle Eastern affairs, left early morning along with other officials, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Seoul has dispatched an acclaimed anti-piracy unit to the Strait of Hormuz after a South Korean-flagged tanker was seized by Iran in the Persian Gulf on Monday https://t.co/KYhe1AG0r7
SEOUL: A Seoul government delegation sent to Tehran on Thursday will attempt to secure the release of a South Korean oil tanker seized by Iranian authorities near the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry’s top official said.
The South Korean-flagged MT Hankuk Chemi with 20 crew members on board was traveling from Saudi Arabia to the UAE when it was intercepted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday and taken to the port of Bandar Abbas.
According to Iran, the ship violated environmental protocols claims that the vessel’s operator has denied.
“We will ask them to exchange due evidence or data to verify the facts,” Koh Kyung-sok, South Korea’s director-general of Africa and Middle East affairs, told reporters before boarding a plane at Incheon International Airport, west of the capital.
S Korean delegation departs for Tehran over seized oil tanker phnompenhpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phnompenhpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A South Korean delegation arrived in Iran on Thursday amid tensions following the seizure of a South Korean oil tanker and its crew by Iranian forces in sensitive Gulf waters this week. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday it had seized the South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi for infringing maritime environmental laws. The Guards said the vessel was carrying 7,200 tonnes of "oil chemical products" and that the detained crew were from South.