Iran spokesman slams South Korea over frozen assets

An Iranian government spokesman has called South Korea a hostage taker over freezing Tehrans USD 7 billion in assets there. Rabiei said If anybody is to be called a hostage taker, it is the South Korean government that has taken our more than USD 7 billion hostage under a futile pretext.

An Iranian government spokesman has called South Korea a "hostage taker" over freezing Tehrans USD 7 billion in assets there. Ali Rabiei's comments on Tuesday come a day after Iran seized a South Korean-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

While Iran claims it seized the ship over polluting the Persian Gulf and the strait, the move came just ahead of a South Korean diplomat heading to Tehran to negotiate over the funds frozen amid a U.S. pressure campaign. Rabiei said: "If anybody is to be called a hostage taker, it is the South Korean government that has taken our more than USD 7 billion hostage under a futile pretext."