South Korean-flagged tanker seized by Iran
05 January, 2021
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps seized a South Korean-flagged tanker found in Gulf waters and detained its crew, Iranian mass media said on Monday (Jan 4), amid tensions between Tehran and Seoul more than Iranian funds frozen found in South Korean banks because of US sanctions.
Seoul confirmed the seizure of a South Korean chemical substance tanker by Iranian authorities in the waters off Oman, and demanded its quick release.
Countless Iranian media outlets, including state TV, reported the Guards navy captured the vessel for polluting the Gulf with chemicals.
"According to original reports by neighborhood officials, it is purely a technical matter and the deliver was taken to shore to get polluting the sea," state television quoted Iranian Overseas Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh seeing that saying.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency published pictures showing the Guards' speed boats escorting the tanker HANKUK CHEMI, which it said was carrying 7,200 tonnes of ethanol.
It said the vessel's detained crew people included nationals of South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Iran's state Television set said the tanker was being kept at Iran's Bandar Abbas port metropolis. The ship had 20 crew customers, regarding to South Korea's foreign ministry.
The US STATE DEPT. called for Iran to release the tanker immediately.
"The regime continues to threaten navigational legal rights and freedoms on the Persian Gulf as part of a clear try to extort the foreign community into relieving the pressure of sanctions," circumstances Department representative said.
The US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet knows the incident and is monitoring the situation, spokeswoman Rebecca Rebarich said in response to a Reuters query.
The incident comes before an expected visit by South Korea's deputy foreign minister to Tehran. Khatibzadeh said the visit would happen in coming days, where officials would discuss Iran's demand that South Korea launching US$7 billion in funds frozen in South Korean banking institutions as a result of US sanctions.
NUCLEAR DEAL
AMERICA reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after Washington withdrew from Tehran's 2015 nuclear manage six main powers. Under that package, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear do the job in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
Iran has retaliated by bypassing the limitations of the offer step-by-step. In a approach that could complicate work by US President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the offer, Tehran explained on Monday it had resumed 20 % uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow nuclear center.
British firm Ambrey said the Southern Korean-flagged vessel, possessed by DM Shipping Co, had departed from the Petroleum Chemical substance Quay in Jubail, on Saudi Arabia, prior to the incident.
Another maritime security strong, Dryad Global, said in its website the chemical substance tanker had "very likely been detained by Iranian forces" in the Strait of Hormuz while inbound to Fujairah on the United Arab Emirates.
In early on 2019, Iran jacked up tensions in the world's busiest oil waterway by seizing British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, fourteen days after a British warship had intercepted an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar.
Source:
TAG(s):