Iran urges South Korea to release its frozen assets

Zonnouri made the remarks during his virtual meeting with the head of the South Korean Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Song Young-gil, according to Mehr News Agency.

He said that the Iranian Parliament is accordingly studying imposing sanctions on imports from South Korea, but it believes that the issue can be resolved through negotiations.

Iranian authorities have been pressing South Korea to release between $6.5 billion and $9 billion dollars in funds that had been frozen since 2018 when the United States imposed its unilateral sanctions on Iran.

The release of the funds would enable Tehran to purchase medicine and medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Iran is one of the worst hit countries by the coronavirus pandemic.

Criticizing the unilateral US interference in relations between countries, the Iranian official said Tehran and Seoul should not allow other countries to interfere in their relations, Iran Press reported.

Zonnouri said that Iran is rich in mineral resources and can meet South Korea’s needs, adding that the Iranian market can be a good opportunity for South Korean products.

Pointing to problems that occurred in economic cooperation during the term of US President Donald Trump, the South Korean official expressed hope that Tehran-Seoul relations in political and economic fields would improve during the tenure of the incoming US President-elect Joe Biden.