South Korea is pursuing a diplomatic effort to free an oil tanker seized by Iran amid a dispute over frozen bank funds, the latest tensions between Tehran and a US ally.
A South Korean delegation arrived in Tehran on Thursday, three days after the 9,797-ton oil tanker Hankuk Chemi and its 20 crewmembers were detained. According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation is expected to lay the groundwork for a visit to Iran on Sunday by the country’s deputy foreign minister.
The seizure of the tanker coincides with mounting international tensions between Iran and US allies over the country’s potential ties to commercial shipping disruptions, progress towards a possible nuclear weapon and alleged cyberattacks.
Tehran said the ship violated environmental regulations, but Seoul disputes the claim. The most recent inspection of the tanker during a 2019 port visit in China revealed no environmental violations and only minor security violations, according to the European Union ship database, Equasis.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said talks are unlikely to begin until South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister arrives, calling the detention a technical issue that is “being processed within his professional and judicial framework” .