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During a recent visit to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Yoon, speaking to South Korean troops stationed in the UAE, compared the alleged threat North Korea posed to his country to what he said was a “threat” facing Abu Dhabi from Iran. He then described Iran as “the most threatening country” to the UAE.
In response, Iran’s foreign ministry slammed the South Korean president’s latest remarks on Iran’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates as completely “invalid” and said it wanted an explanation from Seoul.
Seoul’s foreign ministry stressed that Yoon’s remarks had “nothing to do with Seoul’s relations with Iran” and urged against “unnecessary over-interpretation” of the remarks, saying it was made while encouraging South Korean soldiers.
The ministry also said South Korea’s commitment to relations with Iran remains firm.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-sook said at a regular press conference that South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong called on Iranian Ambassador to Seoul Saeed Badamchi Shabestari on Thursday and “Another explanation of Seoul’s position”.
The move came as Iran’s foreign ministry summoned South Korea’s ambassador to Tehran over the matter on Wednesday. According to reports, Zhao and Sabestari discussed bilateral relations during the meeting, which lasted about an hour.
“As (we) have explained many times, the reported remarks were encouragement to our soldiers on duty in the UAE,” Lim said, adding that the remarks had “nothing” to do with South Korea-Iran relations and Iran’s international relations.
Lim also said Iran’s foreign ministry’s claim that Yoon’s earlier remarks that Seoul might seek to deploy tactical nuclear weapons or possess its own to counter the North Korean threat contradicted its commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was “baseless ” “
MNA/PR
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