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| A South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats in the Persian Gulf in this Jan. 4 photo released by Tasnim News Agency. Iran decided to release the crew of the tanker except for the captain, Tuesday, but a probe continues, according to the South Korean foreign ministry. AP-Yonhap |
'Tehran calling on Seoul to engage in active negotiations with Washington'
By Jung Da-min
Iran's decision to release the crew of a seized Korean oil tanker shows Teheran's conflict with the U.S. over sanctions imposed on it has entered a new phase following the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, diplomatic experts said Wednesday.19
The previous day, Iran agreed to release all 19 sailors, except for the Korean captain of the tanker, which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard seized in early January. The foreign ministry here announced the news, saying Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun of the decision during telephone talks earlier in the day.
While Iran has claimed the seizure was due to the ship polluting the surrounding waters, speculation was rampant that it was due to the Korean government's refusal to release $7 billion belonging to Iran that is being held by two Korean banks because of the U.S. sanctions.
International relations experts said the release showed changes in the tug-of-war between Iran and the U.S over the issue of Washington returning to a nuclear deal with Teheran and other countries.
They said the intention behind the seizure was to send a message to the U.S. administration, rather than the Korean government. They said Iran is aware that Korea had few options regarding the oil money frozen under the U.S.' sanctions.
"Korea happened to be the target of Iran's protest while the ultimate goal was to protest the U.S. sanctions, as Seoul is a close ally of Washington and holds the $7 billion in oil money which has not been delivered due to the sanctions," said Shin Beom-chul, a director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.
"Since the inauguration of U.S. President Biden, the Iran issue has been made a top priority of the new administration, with multiple messages telegraphed by its top officials including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. With the issue being handled as a top priority, the Iranian government seemed to have felt there was no reason to deteriorate bilateral relations between Iran and South Korea."
Experts also said the government's efforts to solve the issue by consulting with Iran through multiple diplomatic channels achieved results but Korea still needs to continue to negotiate not only with Iran but also the U.S. on the matter of the frozen assets.
"Iran has sent a message to the government through the release of the sailors that Seoul should actively engage in negotiations with Washington over the Iranian money," said Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University.
Park said it will likely take a long time for the U.S. and Iran to settle their dispute.
"U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has called on Iran to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, but the issue of its ballistic missile capability also needs to be up for negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a CNN interview Monday that that the Biden administration has a limited window of opportunity with limited time left to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement," Park said. "The Korean government needs to prepare for similar incidents like the seizure of the oil tanker if the conflict between the two does not end in the near future."
A foreign ministry official told reporters Wednesday that Seoul has to consult with Washington on how to use or transfer the frozen oil money, and talks exploring multiple possibilities have been ongoing.
