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Tehran, Jan 24 (IANS) Iran has regained its right to vote at the UN General Assembly after its membership dues to the organisation were paid by South Korea with frozen Iranian funds, Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations announced.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi said late on Saturday that as soon as Iran's arrears are received in New York, the country's voting rights should naturally be restored, official IRNA News Agency reported on Sunday.
South Korea confirmed on Sunday that it has paid Tehran's membership delayed dues, amounting to $18 million, to the UN from Iranian funds frozen in the country, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier, Takht-Ravanchi told IRNA that negotiations were underway between Tehran and the world body to lift the suspension of the country's right to vote at the General Assembly and enable the country to pay its membership dues to the organisation, expressing hope that the talks would soon yield favourable results.
He noted that Iran, as an active UN member, has always been committed to paying up its membership dues on time and has proven this in practice.
The Ambassador stressed that Iran has faced problems with the payment of its membership fee for the second consecutive year due to the sanctions imposed by the US, which have not only undermined Iran's ability to purchase humanitarian items and medical devices but are also impeding the UN's work.
Iranian assets of over $7 billion are frozen in two South Korean banks.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced earlier in Janury that Iran and seven other countries have had their voting rights suspended over late dues.
Iran had also lost its voting rights in 2021 when the US sanctions had blocked Iranian access to its billions of dollars frozen abroad.
The US sanctions have been imposed since 2018 when former President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal.
Since April 2021, rounds of talks have been held between Iran and other remaining parties, namely Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, in the Austrian capital of Vienna to restore the nuclear pact, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with the US indirectly involved.
--IANS
int/khz/
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