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A South Korean destroyer reached waters near Iran after an oil tanker was seized.
Seoul announced that it will send a government delegation to Iran “as soon as possible” to negotiate the release of a detained tanker and its 20-person crew, at a time when an anti-piracy unit arrived in waters near the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced the arrest of the South Korean tanker “Hankook Chimi” in the context of “repeated violations of marine environmental laws”, noting that it was carrying 7,200 tons of “petroleum chemicals”.
And the Ministry of Defense in Seoul announced that a destroyer with members of the anti-piracy squad on board reached waters near the Strait of Hormuz and is “in the process of carrying out a mission to ensure the safety of our citizens.” Seoul said the 300-member Cheonghai unit has been in the area since late last year and will not participate in an offensive operation, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing an unidentified military official.
“The problem must be solved through diplomacy. The unit is focused on the safety of our citizens using the waterway after the detention incident,” he added.
“A delegation will be sent to Iran as soon as possible to try to resolve the problem through bilateral negotiations,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Choi Yong Sam.
The detained crew members are of South Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Burmese nationalities, according to the Sepah News website of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
A spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Vice Foreign Minister Choi Yong Kun will proceed with a previously planned three-day trip to Tehran early next week.
This visit was arranged before the seizure of the tanker, as Tehran seeks to release billions of dollars held in Seoul under US sanctions.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wa has not commented on speculation that Iran has seized the ship in an attempt to pressure Seoul to release Iranian assets.
“We need to verify the facts first and ensure the safety of our crew members,” he told reporters. “We are making diplomatic efforts to obtain his early release,” he added.
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