Crew members of the ship seized by Iran meet with South Korean embassy officials  

The Foreign Ministry said officials from the South Korean Embassy in Iran have met with crew members on board the South Korean oil tanker seized by Tehran.   

The meeting took place on Wednesday for about two hours or so inside the seized ship at Shahid Rajaee port on the southern Iranian coast. Embassy officials reviewed the health and safety conditions of the crew. The captain assured that his crew was safe and sound and called on the government to continue efforts for the release of all crew members.  

Iran announced earlier this week that it would release the crew of the South Korean tanker seized on January 4. However, despite the statements, Seoul said on Thursday that the crew are still on board the ship.  

Earlier this year, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the tanker Hankuk Chemi, loaded with 7,200 tonnes of chemicals, accusing it of polluting the waters, and arrested the multinational crew. Among them were 20 sailors, including five South Koreans, eleven Burmese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.  

The South Korean government said that, in exchange for the crew's release, it had promised swift action to address Iran's grievances. Iran does not have the capacity to access $7 billion in Iranian money that has been frozen in South Korean banks due to US sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump. 

It was not clear when the crew would be released, but Iran said the ship and its captain would remain in custody. Tehran is awaiting an investigation into what the Iranians have described as a violation of maritime pollution law, which is why they say the vessel was seized.  

On Tuesday, Iran's foreign ministry said the crew of the seized tanker had been granted permission to leave the country "in a humanitarian move", although it would retain the vessel and its captain.   

All the crew members remained on board, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Thursday. According to South Korean reports, the partial release may complicate the situation as the ship needs personnel to maintain it.   

"The foreign ministry is discussing with the tanker company on the disembarkation and return of the crew and will put all efforts to secure the release of the captain and the ship as early as possible," it said in a statement. 

A representative at the tanker company DM Shipping said nothing was certain despite Tehran's announcement the crew would be released. "Discussions for their return are still ongoing," he told AFP. "It hasn't been decided whether they will return 100 percent." 

Former US president Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew Washington from a landmark nuclear agreement with world powers and then reimposed and reinforced crippling sanctions on Iran. 

Iran was a key oil supplier to resource-poor South Korea until Washington's rules blocked the purchases. However, Tehran has repeatedly denied any link between the ship's seizure and the funds issue.