[사설]Iranian detained sailors release, the real challenge is now

The Iranian government announced that it would release 19 sailors, including four Koreans on our ship’Korea Chemie’, which was detained yesterday. It has been 29 days since it was captured on the 4th of last month. However, the captain and the ship said they would continue to be detained on the grounds that judicial proceedings on charges of marine pollution were in progress. Iran, which had denied the possibility of release until mid-last month, suddenly released the crew, the South Korean government promised to actively take action in resolving the issue of $7 billion (about 7.6 trillion won) in crude oil exports frozen domestically due to US sanctions. It seems to be due. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that South Korea has expressed a strong commitment to solving the frozen funding issue, but said the release was “humanitarian.” It seems that the judgment that the prolonged detention situation in the context of the US urging for release could lead to increased criticism from the international community including the US, which could be disadvantageous.

Yet, saying that Iran still cannot deliver the captain and ships is the same as saying that it will take South Korea as hostage as far as possible ahead of nuclear negotiations with the United States. In order to completely resolve the detention issue, it has pressed South Korea to draw an advanced stance on freeze funds, or US sanctions against Iran. As the U.S. and Iran are engaged in a nervous war over the return of the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA), South Korea is faced with the challenge of having to consult with the United States on one of the most sensitive issues, easing sanctions. This is why there is no way to welcome the release of the sailor this time.

In the end, with the issue of detaining our ships being intertwined with Iran’s nuclear negotiations, we should not wait as long as it takes considerable time for the US and Iran to conclude negotiations. In the meantime, it is fortunate that the ROK and the US have reached an agreement on using some of the frozen funds as unpaid UN contributions by Iran. Furthermore, the government should actively discuss solutions with the United States, such as transferring frozen funds to Switzerland’s humanitarian trade channels. Iran should focus on finding solutions in close cooperation with the European Union (EU), which Iran has referred to as a mediator for nuclear negotiations.