Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, stressed that South Korea is obligated to release frozen Iranian funds regardless of the outcome of negotiations in Vienna on reviving the nuclear deal.

During a meeting with Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-Kun, Bagheri Kani stated that regardless of the Vienna talks outcome, "the South Korean government is obligated to release Iran's frozen funds," according to IRNA.

He added that the "unilateral US sanctions cannot justify the non-payment of debts to Iran", adding that South Korea's "illegal and unjustified" refusal to pay its debts to Iran "will be a darkening point in the history of relations between the two countries", and Seoul must act as quickly as possible to release Iran's financial resources."

In July, the US Department of State announced that it issued an exemption on some of Iran’s blocked funds in South Korea and Japan to allow them to import oil from Iran.

The waiver, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, allows the transfer of Iranian funds in restricted accounts to exporters in Japan and South Korea.

The waiver allows the Iranian money that had been blocked as a result of the US sanctions to be freed up without violating the law.

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