Iran's Humanitarian Resources Remain Blocked in South Korea

Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry Javad Zarif Thursday condemned the U.S. for preventing the transfer to his country of US$7 billion deposited in South Korea. 

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He criticized U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for boasting of preventing the Persian nation from transferring its money to a Swiss mechanism used only for the purchase of food and medicine.

On Wednesday, Blinken said Iran "will not receive relief" from the unblocking of its funds until it returns to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multilateral nuclear agreement signed in 2015.

"Repeating the same policy will not produce new results," Zarif warned President Joe Biden administration and recalled that former President Donald Trump employed pressure mechanisms without success.

On Feb. 22, Iran's Central Bank announced it had reached an agreement with South Korea for the transfer of assets blocked since 2018. South Korean authorities indicated that they were willing to transfer US$1 billion to the Persian nation for humanitarian purposes but only if the U.S. gave its approval.

In response to the economic harassment against his nation, the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei asserted that the United States is "the most malicious enemy" of his country and tries to "distort the truth and tell lies".

"The U.S. has the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and the only government that has ever used an atomic bomb is the U.S. government. However, they raise their voice to say that they are against the proliferation of nuclear weapons," he said. 

Khamenei indicated that Tehran will not negotiate compliance with the JCPOA commitments until Washington lifts its sanctions completely.