Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh commented on the rumors on the possibility of releasing a South Korean ship recently seized by Iran.
Khatibzadeh made the remarks in response to a question by a number of reporters about the rumors of possible release of the South Korean ship.
He stressed that decisions made by the Iran judiciary (which is in charge of the issue) is announced only by its spokesman so the statements by people not related to the issue lacks any basis.
The spokesman further explained that the South Korean ship was seized for polluting the Persian Gulf waters upon an Iranian judiciary order.
He said since the case is still under investigation, it is only the judiciary that has the authority to make any announcements in this regard.
The navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in a statement on January 6 that a South Korean vessel, the Hankook Chimi, carrying 7,200 tons of petrochemicals had been seized for violating environmental protocols in the Persian Gulf. The South Korean embassy in Tehran last Wednesday confirmed the health of all 20 sailors.
