Tehran frees South Korean tanker seized in the Strait of Hormuz

Since January, the Hankuk Chemi has been docked on charges of having polluted the waters of the area. Incident fuelled by controversy over freezing of 7 billion Iranian dollars in South Korean banks. The captain "is in good health" and the ship "has departed". Nuclear talks continue in Vienna. For President Rouhani, "a new chapter" has opened.

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Tehran today released the South Korean-flagged oil tanker and its captain, docked last January and detained for over three months in response to Seoul's decision to freeze a billionaire fund attributable to the Islamic Republic.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Hankuk Chemi - blocked in the Strait of Hormuz on suspicion of having violated the rules on pollution - left the coast in the early hours of the morning and began navigation.

All 20 crew members, with the exception of the captain, were released last February. The crew included 11 citizens of Myanmar, five South Koreans, two Vietnamese and two Indonesians.

The boat left from a petrochemical plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, and was headed for Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During the Strait Crossing Guardians of the Revolution (the Pasdaran) bordered the ship and forced it to change its course, making it land on its coasts. The charges were rejected by the shipowner DM Shipping Co. Ltd based in Busan, of having polluted the waters of the area.

Economists and experts point out that the controversy is linked to Seoul's earlier decision to freeze Iranian assets and properties (at least $ 7 billion), preservatives in South Korean banks; a decision taken in the context of the "maximum pressure" campaign with sanctions imposed by the previous US administration led by Donald Trump.

Asked by Reuters, the Seoul Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses that "the captain and sailors are in good health, and it's been confirmed that the ship and its cargoes had no problems," adding that "the ship departed Iran after completing administrative procedures."

The definitive release of the dispute comes a few hours after the new round of talks between Tehran and the world powers (including the United States) scheduled in Vienna, Austria, and mediated by the European Union, on the restoration of the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA).

Commenting on the talks, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke of a "new chapter" in international diplomatic relations and his US counterpart Joe Biden says he is ready to cancel the decisions of his predecessor Trump. However, some unresolved issues remain on the table, including the mechanism of reintegration of the United States into the agreement and the return of Iran to full compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, violated several times in recent weeks.

• Iran
• south korea
• united states
• oil tanker
• cargo
• humanitarian reasons
• trade
• peace
• war
• tensions