Detained Korean tanker exposes Iran's bullying and international terrorism

Since the Revolutionary Guards detained a South Korean oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf on January 5, 2021, the Iranian regime has worked to use all its tools regarding the detention of the Korean tanker in its favor, especially since Iran has funds frozen in South Korean banks that Seoul refuses to release so far due to US sanctions imposed on Tehran.
Despite America's and some European countries' requests to
Iran to immediately release the Korean tanker, Tehran has so far refused,
prompting it to launch an attack on the countries demanding the release of the
tanker. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in his weekly
press conference on January 11, 2021, that the United States, France and
Western countries that have described Iran as engaging in piracy acts must take
care of international laws regarding the necessity to protect the marine
environment before attacking Iran, adding, “Some countries interfere in this
matter even though it does not belong to them, and it is also Iran's duty to
protect the marine environment, and politicizing the issue of the ship does not
contribute to its solution.”
Khatibzadeh claimed that the detention of the Korean ship
was due to the pollution of the Arabian Gulf waters, adding that the ship was
notified in advance and then it was detained by a court order. At the same
time, he pointed out that South Korean Assistant Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun
held a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the
Korean delegation’s visit to Tehran regarding the follow-up of the Iranian
assets held in Seoul, indicating that Korea provided unconvincing
justifications to Iran not to transfer the amounts currently, saying, “It must
hand Iran its money without delay,” according to IRNA.
This confirms that Iran is holding the Korean ship to
bargain with South Korea until it releases Iran's frozen funds. Iranian
government spokesman Ali Rabiei, in response to allegations that Iran's seizing
of a South Korean tanker is like taking hostages, said, “Seoul is the one who
pawns $7 billion of Iranian money without any bond.”
Also, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs
Abbas Araghchi called on his Korean counterpart, Choi Jong-kun, to deal more
calmly with the oil tanker crisis and to leave the matter to the Iranian
judiciary to take its course, claiming that all the evidence confirms it is
proven that the tanker has polluted Gulf waters and that controlling this oil
tanker in Iranian waters is only a matter of technical considerations.
Araghchi stressed that politicizing the issue and giving it
an international character on the part of South Korea will not represent any
pressure on Iran and will not help, calling on Seoul to remain calm until the
investigations are completed and to allow legal procedures to proceed
peacefully in order to reach a satisfactory result for all parties.
Regarding the course of this crisis, Mohamed al-Abadi, a
researcher specializing in Iranian affairs, said that Iran accuses South Korea
of holding about $7 billion hostage in its accounts, and Tehran has tried
more than once to demand these funds, but the Korean government has not
responded due to the implementation of the sanctions imposed on Iran in the
sector. Therefore, Iran has resorted to "thuggery" by detaining an
oil tanker and its crew and then entering into discussions with the Korean side
to barter the tanker for these frozen funds. Korea has already started sending
a delegation to discuss the tanker file and the money with the Iranian side, he
added.
Abadi pointed out in a statement to the Reference that it
will be difficult to end the crisis with Korea releasing this huge amount in
one go, but the two parties can reach a state of understanding, especially
since South Korea and Iran have a long relationship in the field of oil exports
from Iran to Korea before the imposition of US sanctions.
Regarding the response of Western countries, especially the
United States and France, Abadi said that the American response and the Iranian
response come in the context of the mutual heating up between the two parties
and the continuation of the US strategy towards Iran by highlighting the
Iranian regime’s illegal practices and the behavior of mafia gangs that Iran
sometimes uses to solve its international crises.