The U.S. State Department referred to as on Iran on Monday to right away launch a South Korean-flagged tanker that it seized within the Gulf and accused Tehran of threatening freedom of navigation as a method to extract aid from financial sanctions.
“The (Iranian) regime continues to threaten navigational rights and freedoms in the Persian Gulf as part of a clear attempt to extort the international community into relieving the pressure of sanctions. We join the Republic of Korea’s call for Iran to immediately release the tanker,” stated a State Department spokesperson provided that they not be recognized.
(Reporting By Arshad Mohammed and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
