S. Korea, Iran hold video talks on expansion of humanitarian trade

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Iran held video talks Tuesday on the use of Tehran's funds frozen here under U.S. sanctions to expand bilateral humanitarian trade, the foreign ministry said.

The so-called working group session, the ninth of its kind, came as Washington remains unwilling to ease anti-Tehran sanctions to unblock the frozen funds unless the Islamic republic comes back into compliance with the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

At the session, the two sides discussed ways to expand trade in humanitarian items, such as medicine, medical equipment and ambulances, and difficulties in their efforts to bolster such engagement, the ministry said.

Following the last working group sessions, South Korea has exported about 20 humanitarian goods, including flu vaccines and blood sugar meters.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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