South Korea releases frozen funds to pay Tehran’s dues

8 million of frozen Iranian assets to pay Tehran's dues to the UN, Seoul said Sunday, in a move to immediately restore the country's voting rights.

The payment was made Friday in cooperation with the US and the UN after Iran made an "emergency request" asking South Korea to pay the dues, Seoul's finance ministry said in a statement.

Iran has more than $7 billion in funds for oil shipments frozen at two South Korean banks due to US sanctions.

"Iran's voting right at the UN General Assembly is expected to be immediately restored with the payment," the ministry said.

Tehran's mission to the UN told AFP the payment had been "completed."

The Islamic republic was South Korea's third-largest Middle Eastern trade partner before the US unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions.

The UN cited unpaid dues when it suspended Iran's voting rights at the General Assembly in earlier January.

Under the UN charter, a member country's right to vote is suspended when its arrears equal or exceed the dues it should have paid over the preceding two years.

Iran also lost its vote over unpaid dues in 2021. It said it could not pay even the minimum amount because of US economic sanctions.

In 2021, Iran managed to pay