TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday urged the "immediate" release of Iran's frozen assets in the Republic of Korea (ROK) banks, official IRNA news agency reported.

"The biggest obstacle to the development of Iran-ROK relations under the current circumstances is restrictions on Iran's foreign assets by the ROK banks," Zarif made the remarks in a meeting with visiting First Vice Foreign Minister of ROK Choi Jong Kun.

"Given the health and economic consequences of novel coronavirus, the main priority ... is to provide access to Iran's financial resources in the ROK," he said, calling for the necessary measures by the ROK to remove the obstacles "as quickly as possible."

"The illegal action of the ROK banks has negatively affected the Iranians' view of the ROK and has seriously damaged the image of the country among the Iranians," he said.

For his part, Choi said that his government will do its utmost to provide Iran with access to its monetary resources.

Zarif also denied that the recent seizure of an ROK vessel in the Strait of Hormuz has anything to do with the freeze of Iran's assets. "The vessel has been seized for polluting the waters of the Gulf, so it is merely a technical issue that are being pursued within the framework of legal and judicial regulations of the Islamic republic," he stressed.

Choi arrived in Iran's capital Tehran on Sunday. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)