The State Department said Seoul and Washington were in talks to discuss the possible release of Iran’s blocked assets in South Korea, but stressed that no part of the assets had been released.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday evening that Washington and Seoul were consulting on the possible release of Iranian blocked assets in South Korea.
According to the Yonhap news agency, Price stressed that no part of Iran’s property has been released in South Korea yet and said: “The South Korean government has made it clear that it has not yet released $ 1 billion of Iranian currency.”
He explained during a daily press conference at the US State Department: “We are in talks with South Korea. I know their foreign ministry has issued a statement stating that Iran’s blocked assets in South Korea will be released only after consultation with the United States.”
A State Department spokesman stating that Seoul was a close ally of Washington’s sanctions plans, said: “South Korea has an important role to play in enforcing sanctions, not only against Iran but also against North Korea.”
According to Yonhap, Price also added: “These are issues that we want to discuss in the context of diplomacy, not in the context of talking in the forums.”
Seoul will continue its serious efforts to free Iran’s blocked assets in the country, South Korean Foreign Minister Chong-oyung said in a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday.
A South Korean foreign ministry official said on February 6 that talks with the United States were being finalized to release Iranian blocked assets in the country’s banks to pay off Tehran’s debt to the United Nations.
Recently, the Iranian Chamber of Commerce announced the amount of money kept in two South Korean banks as $ 8 billion and $ 500,000. Iranian officials have previously said that in addition to refusing to release these funds, Seoul has also demanded money to maintain them.