The New York Times, SEOUL,5 Dec 2011 – A senior American diplomat urged South Korea on Monday to suspend imports of Iranian petrochemicals as Washington tried to rally international pressure on Iran to stop its nuclear program.
‘The situation in Iran has become more and more worrisome over recent months,’ Robert J. Einhorn, the State Department s special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, said at a news conference in Seoul. ‘The timeline for Irans nuclear program is beginning to get shorter.’
Mr. Einhorn said if a diplomatic solution was not found, ‘pressures will grow for a much stronger kind of action.’
‘That s why we need to act soon,’ he said. ‘That s why we want to work with all of our partners around the world, including the Republic of Korea, to send a right signal to Iran.’
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul confirmed that Washington has asked South Korea to reduce imports of Iranian petrochemicals and find alternative suppliers. It said it was reviewing the request.
Last month, Washington announced additional sanctions against Iran following a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that linked its uranium enrichment program with nuclear weapons development. The sanctions mainly targeted Iran s oil, gas and petrochemical industries.
South Korean imports of Iranian petrochemicals amount only to $300 million a year. Still, the country fears the impact their suspension might have on its trade ties with Iran, especially its crude oil imports. Iran is the fourth-largest source of crude oil for South Korea, accounting for 10 percent of its oil imports.
Washington also is seeking to reduce Irans revenues from oil exports. But it did not ask South Korea to curtail oil imports from Iran because it respected South Korea s energy security needs, Mr. Einhorn said.