According to Yonhap, South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Yoon Kang-hyun and other leaders will meet with U.S. State Department officials on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the waiver issued in November to keep buying Iranian oil in exchange for having reduced such purchases, the Seoul government said.
The South Korean officials will meet with the State Department's top energy diplomat Francis Fannon on Thursday. On Wednesday they will meet with Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, and David Peyman, the deputy assistant secretary of state for counter threat finance and sanctions.
The South Korean officials will meet with the State Department's top energy diplomat Francis Fannon on Thursday. On Wednesday they will meet with Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, and David Peyman, the deputy assistant secretary of state for counter threat finance and sanctions.
A State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the meeting with Peyman. Officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the other meetings.
Peyman met with South Korean officials in Asia earlier this month. He offered "to continue to closely consult on the extension of sanctions exemption and Korean companies' technical issues regarding trade with Iran," a statement from Seoul's foreign ministry said at the time.
South Korea is a large buyer of a light oil called condensates from Iran and has told a former U.S. official that there are few options for getting the same quality of condensate from other suppliers.
South Korea's oil imports from Iran fell 12.5 percent year-on-year in February, customs data showed this month.
The news agency quoted a South Korean official as saying that Seoul has had discussions since November with Washington on gaining an extended exception and that ending the purchases of condensates would affect its economy. "No extension means no imports of Iranian condensate," an official told Yonhap.
