South Korean-flagged tanker seized by Iran, Seoul calls for launch

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps seized a South Korean-flagged tanker in Gulf waters and detained its crew, Iranian media stated on Monday, amid tensions between Tehran and Seoul over Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks as a result of US sanctions.
Seoul confirmed the seizure of a South Korean chemical tanker by Iranian authorities within the waters off Oman, and demanded its fast launch. Several Iranian media shops, together with state TV, stated the Guards navy captured the vessel for polluting the Gulf with chemical substances.

“According to initial reports by local officials, it is purely a technical matter and the ship was taken to shore for polluting the sea,” state tv quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying.
The semi-official Tasnim information company printed footage displaying the Guards’ velocity boats escorting the tanker HANKUK CHEMI, which it stated was carrying 7,200 tonnes of ethanol. It stated the vessel’s detained crew members included nationals of South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Iran’s state TV stated the tanker was being held at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port metropolis. The ship had 20 crew members, in accordance with South Korea’s overseas ministry.
The US State Department referred to as for Iran to launch the tanker instantly. “The regime continues to threaten navigational rights and freedoms in the Persian Gulf as part of a clear attempt to extort the international community into relieving the pressure of sanctions,” a State Department consultant stated.
The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet is conscious of the incident and is monitoring the state of affairs, spokeswoman Rebecca Rebarich stated in response to a Reuters question.
The incident comes forward of an anticipated go to by South Korea’s deputy overseas minister to Tehran. Khatibzadeh stated the go to would occur in coming days, throughout which officers would talk about Iran’s demand that South Korea launch $7 billion in funds frozen in South Korean banks due to US sanctions.

Nuclear deal
The United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after Washington withdrew from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear take care of six main powers. Under that deal, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear work in change for the lifting of sanctions.
Iran has retaliated by bypassing the restrictions of the deal step-by-step. In a transfer that would complicate efforts by US President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal, Tehran stated on Monday it had resumed 20% uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow nuclear facility.
British agency Ambrey stated the South Korean-flagged vessel, owned by DM Shipping Co, had departed from the Petroleum Chemical Quay in Jubail, in Saudi Arabia, earlier than the incident.
Another maritime safety agency, Dryad Global, stated on its web site the chemical tanker had “likely been detained by Iranian forces” within the Strait of Hormuz whereas inbound to Fujairah within the United Arab Emirates.

In early 2019, Iran jacked up tensions on this planet’s busiest oil waterway by seizing British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, two weeks after a British warship had intercepted an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar.