Diplomatic sources “Visit by Vice Minister Choi, good influence on detained vessels”
“The people run their lives… Willingness to buy $1 billion medical equipment”
“I sent two personal letters to the Iranian President and President Moon,
There is no practical action on the reply… I feel sorry for my attitude”
Iranian President Hassan Rohany
Contrary to the official view that Iran “does not require a diplomatic visit from Korea,” it is reported that it is highly anticipated for the first vice minister of foreign affairs Choi Jong-gun’s visit on the 10th. Despite the fact that the detention of Korean vessels held on the 4th is a’technical problem related to marine pollution’, he desperately wants to bring a’clear plan’ that can solve the problem of 7 billion dollars (about 7.6 trillion won) of Iranian assets frozen in Korea. . A diplomatic source familiar with the relations between Korea and Iran met on the 6th and said, “I think that this visit by Vice Minister Choi will have a good impact. It would be nice if Vice Minister Choi had a clear plan to solve the frozen funding problem in Iran. Clear your purpose and bring in a (specific) program and you can pay off. Iran wants’a specific plan that allows them to spend their money.’ In this regard, the source said that Iran has now made a request to South Korea that it wants to use about $1 billion of its frozen assets to purchase medical equipment. I hope that the visit to the vice minister will yield good results.” Earlier, on the 3rd, local media in Iran cited Iranian officials such as Hosein Tan Hai, chairman of the Korea-Iran Chamber of Commerce, and negotiated to “barter oil exports freeze funds in Korean banks and exchange Covid19 vaccines and other goods.” I decided to proceed. We will see how much Koreans are willing to cooperate.” The newspaper listed the Corona 19 vaccine, raw materials, drugs, petrochemicals, auto parts, and household electronics as concrete items Iran wants.
Iranian Ambassador to Korea Said Badamchi Shavestari arrives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 5th and takes an elevator. yunhap news
“Iranian 60,000 people died of corona, but there are no medicines… I answered the letter of President Moon, but there was no concrete action.”
The source further details Iran’s disappointment over the indifference that South Korea has taken over the past two and a half years. “Over the past two and a half years, I have a lot of regrets about Korean diplomacy. 60,000 Iranian citizens died of Corona 19 and there are no medicines. Iranian President Hassan Rohany sent two letters to President Moon Jae-in. The Korean government sent a reply each time, but there was no appropriate or practical action. When the oil price of 7 billion dollars and the money deposited by Melat Bank (in Iran) as a reserve for payment in the Bank of Korea, (the Iranian money in Korea) is more than 9 billion dollars. It is the money that took the lives of the Iranian people.” This source said, “I feel a lot of regret, and I feel abandoned, because Iran is in a very difficult situation due to US economic sanctions. That good relationship was worsened by this situation.”
“Ship capture is a purely technical problem… I wasn’t kidnapped for money.”
However, the Iranian Revolutionary Maritime Guard (IRGCN) reiterated its position as a purely technical problem regarding the capture of the Korean chemical carrier’Korea Chemie’ (17,426 tons) on the 4th. “There is a process of adding and removing water to balance the ship, but there is no problem in the big sea, but the Persian Gulf is a special region, so environmental problems are serious. Fines can be imposed for violations, and compensation for voyages can also be provided if it turns out that there are no problems. Linking this issue with frozen funding is an over-interpretation,” said Iran. In fact, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it will not seek a’political compromise’ as this is a technical issue being investigated by the Bandar Abbas state government. The source also commented on reports from some South Korean media that Iran kidnapped Korean ships to get money, “It’s too unpleasant and shameful for Iran to speak so easily. “Why would Iran shake hands now?” He expressed the view that as Korea showed unfavorable stance to Iran, when relations improved and the (Donald) Trump administration ended.
“7 billion dollars tied to Korea are the lives of Iranian people”
Meanwhile, the Iranian government negotiated with South Korea in the process of securing a vaccine through’Kobex Facility’, an international project for co-purchase of the Corona 19 vaccine, but the Korean government and the bank said,’The Iranian fund is in Switzerland with a Kobex facility collection account. It is said that they adhered to the position that they cannot guarantee that the money will be remitted to the bank. In the process, Korean banks introduced a bank in the United States saying that they cannot directly remit money to a Swiss bank that has a collection account of Kobex Facility, and that in order to convert to dollars, they must go through another bank. However, Iran could not agree, as Iranian money is automatically frozen when it enters the US bank under the US law on anti-Iranian sanctions. On the 5th, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We were going to pay the bill with special approval from the US Treasury. However, Iran was concerned that this money would be seized by the United States during the remittance process, so the decision was not made.” By Park Min-hee and Gil Yoon-hyung, staff reporter [email protected]