By Kim Young-jin
The top U.S. envoy to South Korea Tuesday urged Seoul to take action on Iran in line with its important role in the international community and join Washington’s campaign to curb the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear ambitions.
Kathleen Stephens, speaking at the Chungcheong Forum held in Seoul on the South Korea-U.S. alliance, said Korea should consider its position as an “important member of the international community" in deciding whether to levy independent sanctions on Tehran.
"South Korea is a country that has its own interest in seeing a peaceful and stable Middle East," she said at the evening event, calling for Seoul’s cooperation in sending a bold message to the nuclear-ambitious state.
"It's essential for responsible countries with global interests to send a unified message to the leaders of Iran that it must live up to its international obligations,” she said. “We must take affirmative steps toward denuclearization if we are to promote regional and international stability.
Seoul remains between a rock and a hard place after the United States, its closest ally, asked it to impose independent sanctions on Iran, its biggest Middle Eastern trading partner, earlier this month. Tehran warns that the action could damage the lucrative trade ties between the two countries, which soared in the first half of the year.
After totaling $10 billion last year, the amount reached $7.4 billion through July, a 52.9 percent spike from the same period in 2009, according to the Korea Customs Service.
Stephens acknowledged the predicament but said other countries with economic ties to Tehran have taken “broader concerns” into account and joined in “one voice on Iran.”
Countries such as Australia and Canada, as well as the European Union, have already joined the U.S.-led campaign.
"We'd welcome the Republic of Korea's cooperation to encourage Iran's leaders to adopt a more constructive path," she said.
Specifically, Washington wants action taken against the Seoul branch of Iran's Bank Mellat, which has been linked to nuclear activities.
Seoul is reportedly seeking a path that would satisfy both Washington and Tehran. Earlier in the day, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Chun Yung-woo and a team of delegates left for the United States for discussions on the issue.
They are expected to meet with Robert Einhorn, a Washington official overseeing sanctions on Iran and North Korea as well as with other officials.
The additional U.S.-led measures come atop four rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions aimed at convincing Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, the main source of concern for Washington.
Enrichment at low levels can produce fuel for civilian purposes but also material for nuclear weapons. Tehran insists it only intends to use it for peaceful purposes.