The Deputy Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, Shahriar Heydari,said; “If process moves on in the same framework, a large part of Iran's blocked money will be soon released.”
Regarding the release of the Korean tanker, Shahriar Heydari told "Rouydad"; “Primarily the administrative and judicial tasks related to this tanker lasted for three months, and Qatar was selected as a mediating country by the Koreans.”
“According to the Convention on the Law of the Seas, Iran or any country with a coastal line should draft a law, and after the country’s parliament passed it, the country is obliged to act accordingly,” added Heydari.
Heydari considered the supervision by the country with the coastal line as one of the rules of the Convention and added; “Countries that their ships cross through the waters of another country have to determine the cargo and standard of their ships, and therefore the Islamic Republic of Iran stopped the Korean Ship.”
He then mentioned that it was not unprecedented and has been part of the convention; “other countries created similar problems for us; but there were widespread repercussions for stopping the Korean ship.”
Heydari stated that South Korea said it its ship met the determined standards, and that Iran seized the ship possibly to push for the release of the blocked money.
The Iranian MP then claimed that the seizure of the tanker had nothing to do with Iran’s money blocked in Korea and that it was only due to technical problems.
In another part of the interview with Radio Goftogoo, Heydari pointed out the news about the agreement between Iran and Korea to release $ 7 billion of Iran’s money blocked by the Koreans; “Discussions on this issue started months before the ship was seized, But Korean authorities mentioned that they have direct relations with American banks and are thus subject to their regulations.
Emphasizing on the necessity of other solutions to solve the problem, Heydari said; “We are still negotiating with Korea, and there have been talks at the level of parliament, the central bank and the foreign ministry.”
Heydari also announced that accordingly, South Korea put forward some solutions; “If this process moves on in the same framework, a large part of Iran's blocked money will be soon released.”
"We have never had a hostile relationship with Korea, but the blockade of Iran’s money brought tensions to our relations," he said.
