TEHRAN (FNA)- Vice-Chairman of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Abbas Moqtadayee called on South Korea to release Iran’s 7-billion-dollar debt as soon as possible, and said that the Iranian parliament will take punitive measures in case the East Asian country does not abide by its commitments.
Moqtadayee underlined on Wednesday that if South Korea does not fulfill the obligation, Iran’s parliament will start sanctioning the South Korean goods and will urge limits on Tehran-Seoul ties.
He went on to say that about 7 billion dollars of Iran’s oil revenues have been frozen by South Korea and the country procrastinates its payment.
According to the reports, Iran may officially sue South Korea as Seoul refrains from paying off its oil debts to Tehran.
In relevant remarks last week, parliament’s Vice-Speaker Amir-Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi castigated South Korean government’s freezing of Iran’s oil revenues under the US pressure, and added that Seoul’s conduct is unethical and illegal.
Qazizadeh Hashemi issued an official warning on Friday to the government of South Korea over its “unacceptable” and “unjustifiable” continuation of freezing Iran’s funds in the country’s banks.
Vice-Speaker of the Iranian Parliament said it is a source of regret and surprise that the South Korean government is blocking the Iranian nation’s money under the US pressure.
Qazizadeh Hashemi lashed out at Seoul’s “rude” behavior and said it indicates South Korea is not committed to any ethical or legal principle.
South Korea is violating another nation’s rights under the pressure of the US bullies, he said, calling for the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s active pursuit of the release of the Iranian money.
In relevant remarks on July 15, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his ministry will use every method to return frozen funds from South Korea, and noted that Seoul has been uncooperative on the issue.
Zarif said that the foreign ministry and Central Bank of Iran (CBI) have made many efforts to release the frozen money funds, adding that positive measures have been taken by some countries, like Oman and China, to return the money, but South Korea has done little.
Although South Korea is sure that the blocked money belongs to Iran, it claims there are problems in transferring the money due to illegal US sanctions, he added.
