Tehran summons Seoul Ambassador over President's anti-Iran remarks
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The Iranian Foreign Ministry says comments made by South Korea's President during his UAE trip undermine regional stability.
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Iranian Foreign Ministry building in Tehran
Iran summoned on Wednesday the ambassador of South Korea to protest the recent statements made by its President regarding the relations between Tehran and the UAE.
During a recent trip to the Gulf state, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed the UAE-based Korean forces and drew a parallel between the alleged threat the Democratic People's Republic of Korea poses to his country and what he called the "threat" Iran poses to Abu Dhabi describing Tehran as the "most-threatening nation" to the UAE.
In response, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly denounced the South Korean President's remarks on Iran's ties with the UAE, saying they are "invalid', and the Ministry expects an explanation from Seoul.
The Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Reza Najafi conveyed Iran's strong protest to the Ambassador, noting that Tehran shares friendly ties with most gulf states.
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Najafi also considered that Yoon's statements aim to hinder regional stability and meddle with the friendly relations between the Islamic Republic and Gulf countries.
The official requested immediate clarification from Seoul regarding those comments and called for the East Asian country to correct its approach to Iran.
Najafi commented on South Korea's unfriendly actions toward the Islamic Republic, including freezing Iranian funds and assets following illegal US sanctions, and warned that Seoul's actions are affecting the bilateral ties and will force Iran to revise its relations with South Korea.
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The Iranian official also demanded an explanation regarding Yoon's remarks about the possibility that Iran might build a nuclear weapon, which does not align with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) signed by Tehran.
According to Mehr News agency, the South Korean Ambassador said his President's comments are not linked to relations between Iran and the United Emirates or South Korea, noting that he will convey Tehran's notes to his government.
It's noteworthy that the South Korean Foreign Ministry commented on Tuesday on President Yoon Suk-yeol's recent remark about Iran during his visit to the United Arab Emirates, saying it was "irrelevant" to Seoul's ties with Tehran.
The Seoul Foreign Ministry sent a text message to reporters, in which it urged against "unnecessary overinterpretation" and explained that the remark was made while encouraging South Korean soldiers and was "irrelevant" to South Korea's diplomatic ties with Iran or other countries.
"Since forging diplomatic ties with Iran in 1962, our country has long maintained friendly and cooperative ties with Iran, and our commitment to continue developing friendly bilateral relations with Iran remains firm," the Ministry said, as reported by Yonhap.
