Iran says its decision to release a South Korean chemical tanker and its captain took into account their track record of having breached no maritime environmental laws in the country before.   

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh in an interview with state-run IRNA on Friday said that the Iran's judiciary authorities decided on the release as their investigation showed the MT Hankuk Chemi had committed no violation of the region's laws in the past.  

He added sincere requests by the South Korean government and the owner of the vessel also positively affected the prosecution’s decision to order the release. 

Khatibzadeh did not mention, however, what specific violation they were accused of, only underlining that Iran continues its monitoring of waters under its broad jurisdiction for breaches to its rules, including those regarding environmental protection. 

Earlier in the day, Tehran released the South Korean-flagged tanker, MT Hankuk Chemi, and its South Korean skipper more than three months after they were seized by the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) in the Persian Gulf for an alleged violation of maritime environmental laws. 

It had been widely speculated that the seizure was part of Tehran's attempt to pressure Seoul, a U.S. ally, to persuade Washington to ease sanctions and allow access to seven billion dollars of frozen oil money held at two South Korean banks.