Iranian Ambassador to Korea: All countries responsible' for victim support in Gaza Strip

Iranian Ambassador to Korea Saeed Koozechi in an interview with The Korea Herald at his office in Seoul, denied Iran's alleged involvement in Hamas attack.

Iranian Ambassador to Korea Saeed Koozechi expressed deep concern over the Israel-Palestine conflict and its devastating impact on civilian populations, calling for the international community to support victims of the crisis in the Gaza Strip.

“All countries are officially responsible for supporting the victims of these conflicts,” said Koozechi in an interview with The Korea Herald.

With the rising number of casualties, Koozechi stressed that the global community should to play an "active and effective role" to end the suffering of non-combatant individuals in the Gaza region.

“Emergency aid is blocked, the area is completely surrounded, and the hospitals in Gaza are on the brink of collapse. There's no electricity and fuel. This will go down as a dark mark on humanity.”

The ambassador, denied speculations of Iranian involvement in the Hamas attack. “It's not true,” he said, claiming that Iran has been actively trying to control and resolve the situation since the crisis began.

Regarding the speculation around the release of $6 billion of Iranian funds that have been frozen in Korean banks since 2019, Koozechi dismissed these claims as “humor” and clarified that the funds, which have now been unfrozen and transacted to Qatar, remain untouched by Iran. “We haven't used a penny of this amount yet,” he confirmed.

Turning to the subject of Iran-South Korea relations, the ambassador reminisced about the once-strong economic ties between the two nations.

He underscored Iran's significant global standing, with the world's largest hydrocarbon reserves and strategic borders with 15 countries. With a massive domestic market of 85 million and nearly 600 million people in neighboring countries, Iran holds immense potential. Koozechi also lauded South Korea for its advanced technological capabilities, suggesting that both countries could complement each other well.

“I genuinely hope we can return to the prosperous times we once shared,” Koozechi said, underscoring a hopeful future for Iranian-South Korean relations.

**********************