US welcomes South Korean sanctions against Iran

AFP, Washington, Sept 8, 2010 – The United States on Wednesday hailed new sanctions imposed by South Korea against Iran as increasing pressure on Tehran to return to the negotiating table to address concerns about its nuclear aims.
’We welcome the action by the Republic of Korea,’ State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said after Seoul agreed to penalize a key Iranian bank and put all financial transactions with Tehran under strict government supervision.
It sends ’a very strong signal to Iran that not only do we continue to have concerns about the nature of its nuclear activities but we’re taking aggressive action to further isolate Iran,’ Crowley said.
South Korean Foreign ministry spokesman Kim Young-Sun said the government would impose a ’heavy penalty’ on the Seoul branch of Bank Mellat, which allegedly facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions for Iranian nuclear, missile and defense entities.
Kim did not elaborate but Yonhap news agency said the bank would likely face a two-month suspension.
In the wake of a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions in June, South Korea joins the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan in taking unilateral measures to check Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The move ’will put additional pressure on Iran to, we hope, come to the table prepared to engage constructively and address the concerns the international community has,’ Crowley said.