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Korean destroyer Wang Geon (bottom) during a drill with the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington – Photo: US NAVY
In a statement issued on the night of January 4, the Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed that Hankuk Chemi is a ship flying the Korean flag on its way from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates. There are 20 sailors on board, including 2 Vietnamese, 2 Indonesians, 5 Koreans and 11 Burmese.
“The Korean embassy in Iran said that the sailors are safe and they are asking Tehran to release the ship soon,” the statement said.
America, an ally of South Korea, also spoke at dawn on January 5 (Vietnam time). “The Tehran government threatens once again the freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, a measure that the international community clearly wants to take advantage of to ease the pressure of sanctions,” the State Department said. quote.
The Bahrain-based US Navy Fifth Fleet has been informed of the incident and is ready to coordinate with South Korea, according to Yonhap News Agency. Before that, after the diplomatic announcement, the Korean Navy sent the destroyer Wang Geon, who is present in the area towards the Strait of Hormuz.
The Seoul government decided to deploy warships to the region in January 2020, fearing that South Korean commercial ships would be compromised by tensions between the United States and Iran.
Iranian media confirmed that the South Korean chemical tanker was arrested for “breaking the law to protect the marine environment” of the country. Tehra is said to hold the Korean ship in the port city of Bandar Abbas, the terminus of the Strait of Hormuz.
The moment the Iranian high-speed train docked on the side of the Hankuk Chemi ship during the January 4 arrest – Screenshot Yonhap
The incident occurred in the context of the South Korean Vice Foreign Minister’s upcoming visit to Tehran to discuss Seoul’s payment for crude oil and other funds worth $ 7 billion. The money is being blocked by South Korean banks following US sanctions on Iran.
Under US President Donald Trump, relations between the United States and Iran have become strained. As Tehran continues to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, Washington unilaterally imposed sanctions to block Iranian money.
These sanctions include banning countries from buying crude oil and conducting financial transactions with Iran. Then the US authorities warned that countries either obey the US or face US sanctions.
In other related developments on January 4, the Iranian government confirmed that it had started the 20% uranium enrichment process at the Fordow nuclear facility. The United States and Europe immediately voiced their criticism, emphasizing that Iran’s move could break the 2015 nuclear deal.
