"UAE less Iran" excommunication... sink or catch fire again

“I think there was some misunderstanding on the Iranian side.” 

This is what a presidential office official who is conducting President Yoon Seok-yeol's visit to Switzerland said at a briefing on the 19th local time.

He explained that it seems to be a "misunderstanding" that Iranian diplomatic authorities continue to show opposition after President Yoon Seok-yeol's remarks that "the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Iran."

An official from the presidential office said, "I felt that the focus was being blurred when I saw (Iran) taking issue with the frozen funds issue and President Yoon's remarks related to nuclear armament." I did.

He added, "We do not believe that either side intends to make matters worse by amplifying misunderstandings."

What is going on between Korea and Iran right now?

Why should we pay attention to this issue?

why is it important

In January 2021, our ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, was captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

I was detained for 3 months.

It is widely believed that Iran's dissatisfaction with the unresolved 7 billion dollar frozen fund in Korea was the main cause of this case.

Iranian foreign funds remain tied up after the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and the restoration of US sanctions against Iran.

7 billion dollars was also tied up at that time.

Iran has been pressuring us even though it is something we cannot voluntarily do because of US sanctions.

In the meantime, complaints have been piled up, but this is the reason why the evaluation comes out that it has exploded with this issue.

So, in case, there are voices concerned that something disgraceful like two years ago might happen.

The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf oil-producing countries to the ocean, and is where a lot of crude oil flows.

It is known that 70-80% of crude oil exported to Korea passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

so what now?

So let's take a look at the current situation in Korea and Iran.

On the 18th) and 19th, an unusual situation unfolded between the diplomatic authorities of the two countries.

This is because the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in the Korean ambassador to Iran, and the very next day, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called in the Iranian ambassador to Korea.

'Invited' is a diplomatic act in which the government of the host country summons a diplomatic envoy and conveys its position.

Even among friends, but calling in a diplomatic envoy and publicly stating that you did this is usually safe to interpret it as a protest.

Korea and Iran showed a tit for tat (tit for tat, counterattack) aspect of responding to second attempt.

It is the Iranian side that has actively brought this issue to the surface.

In Iran, on the 18th local time, Reza Najafi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Deputy Minister for Justice and International Organizations, summoned Yoon Kang-hyun, the Iranian ambassador to Iran, and demanded an "immediate explanation" and "correction of the approach" to President Yoon's remarks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already explained enough through the Seoul and Tehran channels, but they asked me to explain again.

It even shook the 'reconsider bilateral relationship' card.

President Yoon Seok-yeol mentioned the possibility of possessing his own nuclear weapons, even mentioning violations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and NPT, which was also a glimpse of his intention to deliberately raise the issue.

So, on the morning of the 19th, First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong summoned Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shavestari to Korea.

While reiterating the position that the president's remarks had nothing to do with Korea-Iran relations, he clearly drew a line that Iran's request for clarification on the NPT was "raising an unfounded issue."

Now, now that we have exchanged explanations, is the misunderstanding resolved?

That's what I'm curious about.

one more step

A scenario in which the misunderstanding is resolved and both sides are no longer in trouble is, of course, the best.

Since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that it will continue to communicate, I hope that the misunderstanding will be resolved as soon as possible. 

However, many Middle East experts are concerned about Iran's diplomatic style, which puts pride first, and the fact that Iran's internal situation is not easy.

It was also diagnosed that anti-government protests, which began after the mysterious death of a woman not wearing a hijab, could be used as an opportunity to avoid an internal crisis.

Yu Dal-seung, a professor of Persian language and Iranian studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said, 

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In addition, as public opinion on human rights in Iran worsens, there are concerns that it is trying to pressure Korea, which has the right to vote in the international community.

My government also voted in favor when Iran was expelled from UN Women last month.

In particular, as the Yoon Seok-yeol government is advocating value diplomacy and getting closer to the United States, it seems necessary to analyze what Iran is doing after watching this.

On the other hand, the fact that the government, which had refrained from responding in the meantime, turned to active response on the 19th seems to have judged that Iran, which is suspected of developing nuclear weapons, crossed the line by mentioning compliance with the NPT in the remarks of President Yoon Seok-yeol.

It is to prevent the spread of unnecessary suspicion in the international community at an early stage.

In addition, it is evaluated that despite the repeated explanations of the diplomatic authorities, a warning message was sent as a counterpoint to the ambassador's diplomatic strategy, which continues to demand additional clarification. 

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