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Iran Releases South Korean-Flagged Tanker Crew

VOA News

   Iran has released 19 crew members and the captain of a South Korean
   tanker that was seized in the Persian Gulf last month, Iranian state TV
   announced Tuesday.

   The South Korean-flagged MT Hankuk Chemi, whose crew included sailors
   from Indonesia, Myanmar, South Korea and Vietnam, has been in custody
   at the port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, since
   January 5.

   Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said a legal investigation
   into the tanker would continue, although some see the apprehension as a
   move by Tehran to gain leverage over Seoul. The decision came after the
   two governments held talks over billions in frozen Iranian assets.

   Last month, South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun
   visited Iran to discuss the crew's release, as well as some $7 billion
   in Iranian assets from oil sales frozen in South Korea due to U.S.
   sanctions.

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