Spokesman Blasts S. Korea for Blind Obedience to US in Blocking Iran's Assets

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi lashed out at South Korea for compliance with the US policy of freezing Iran's assets. "Unfortunately, South Korea has allowed interference of certain streams in half-a-century-old good and intimate relations with Iran and these relations are being distorted by the meddling of third-party states," Mousavi told reporters in a press conference on Monday. He described South Korea's "blind obedience" to the US and blocking Iran's assets under the pretext of the US pressures as "unacceptable". "They are not entitled to block the Iranian nation's assets for a long time, under this pretext," Mousavi underlined.

He said that the foreign ministry in cooperation with the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and other bodies will adopt all the necessary legal and diplomatic measures to guarantee the Iranian nation's rights.
Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rohani called on the CBI to pursue ways of releasing Iran’s assets and properties that have been withheld in Seoul under US pressures.

Rohani made the remarks in a phone talk with the Governor of CBI Abdolnasser Hemmati, adding that blocking CBI’s resources by South Korea has been carried out in obedience to the anti-humane policies of the US government and within the framework of maximum pressure against the Iranian nation.

He ordered the CBI to follow up the issue in cooperation with the foreign ministry through bilateral political means and legal course of financial institutions and international communities.

“South Korea’s prevention of Iran’s access of CBI assets for purchasing basic commodities, medicine and humanitarian items is never acceptable,” President Rohani underlined, and added, “And we expect the South Korean government to remove this limitation soon.”

Last Wednesday, the CBI censured South Korea over illegally keeping the country’s funds, and stressed that it could resort to legal moves to get back the money.

Hemmati said that the South Korean banks have prevented Iran’s access to the money to purchase foods and medicines, while these are exempt from US sanctions.

It is terrible to see the South Korean banks ignoring their commitments, common international financial agreements, and deciding to politicize the issue in a obedience of US illegal sanctions, Hemmati added.

Iran’s chief banker said that Tehran and Seoul have worked on a special commercial vehicle, similar to what has been agreed upon with the EU, which would allow Iran to complete humanitarian dealings using the money locked in South Korean banks.

“Should Korean banks not abide by their international agreements with us, we reserve our right to take legal actions under international laws,” Hemmati noted. - Fars