Iran says crew of seized South Korean ship free to leave

Tehran says it made a "humanitarian decision" to release the sailors aboard a Korean ship it seized in the Persian Gulf, though the Hankuk Chemi will remain in Iran as an investigation and talks over oil funds withheld by Seoul continue.
A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army official website on September 11, 2020, shows an Iranian navy warship during the second day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. - The Iranian navy began a three-day exercise in the Sea of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz yesterday, deploying an array of warships, drones and missiles. One of the exercise's objectives is to devise "tactical offensive and defensive strategies for safeguarding the countr
A handout picture provided by the Iranian army's website on Sept. 10, 2020, shows an Iranian navy warship during the second day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. - Iranian Army office/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

The Iranian government has given the crew of a seized South Korean ship permission to leave the country.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Islamic Republic made a “humanitarian decision” to release the sailors.

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