Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expects South Korea to reconsider its decision to join the U.S.-led oil embargos in line with the two countries’ growing economic interdependence.

In an interview with The Korea Herald, the Islamic republic’s top diplomat also denied allegations about Tehran’s nuclear and other military cooperation with Pyongyang.

“The political and economic behavior of countries should be balanced,” he said, commenting on Seoul’s policy to separate political and economic issues with regard to the international sanctions against Iran’s controversial nuclear programs.

“One cannot make a political decision to ignore the rights of the other party and at the same time to derive economic benefits from it,” he said in the written interview.

“(South Korean business ties with Iran) will entail job creation in Korea, taking advantage of Iran’s big market and those of the countries neighboring Iran. So, it is only natural that Iran expects the Korean side to reciprocate it.”

Should Seoul join new sanctions, it will be considered an “action against the economic interests of Iran,” Salehi added.

South Korea, a key Asian ally of the U.S., has joined the sanctions spearheaded by Washington to punish Iran despite its claim that its nuclear programs are for power generation and peaceful civilian purposes.

Stipulated in a law signed by President Barack Obama a year ago, the sanctions seek to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions by cutting its oil revenue. Banks in countries that purchase Iranian oil are to be cut off from the U.S. financial system if their oil imports are not curtailed.

Last June, Seoul received a waiver from the law in return for reducing its oil imports from Iran. Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department gave nine countries including South Korea, China and India another six-month reprieve from financial sanctions.

From January to October, South Korea’s oil imports from Iran accounted for less than 6 percent of the total ― a decrease from 9.4 percent recorded last year. It is expected to further curtail oil imports from Iran to avoid U.S. financial sanctions.

Seoul had apparently agonized over the decision to participate in the punitive measures as frayed ties with Tehran could bring about negative ramifications on the local economy. More than 2,500 small and medium-sized firms do business with Iran.

But Seoul was also apprehensive that its refusal to join the sanctions could hamper its efforts to gain international support for denuclearizing North Korea and bring accusations of having double standards.

The Iranian minister said that his country was aware of Seoul’s difficult position, calling for more efforts on the part of Seoul to have a “more accurate understanding of Iran’s motive.”

“In spite of the fact that Korea decreased its crude oil imports from Iran, our country took no measures in this regard and Korean companies are doing business in Iran as before,” he said.

Salehi anticipated that Seoul will, after all, move toward a “long-term, strategic view,” stressing Korea’s increasing need for resources and Iran’s role as a reliable source of energy.

Calling South Korea a significant country in Iran’s “Look to the East” policy, he also underscored that the two countries should make joint efforts to expand bilateral relations. This year, the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

“Iran is intent on preservation and expansion of relations, but it depends on the performance of the South Korean government,” he said.

Concerning North Korea, the minister dismissed speculation that Iran and North Korea have cooperated over the development of nuclear weapons that could threaten world peace.

“In essence, Iran’s nuclear program is basically different from North Korea’s,” he said.

“Of course, North Korea as a member state of the international community has friendly relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and this relationship is not against the interests of any third country.”

Last Tuesday, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast dismissed the allegations of cooperation in missile and nuclear development between Iran and North Korea as “completely baseless.”

News reports have said that some Iranian technicians helped Pyongyang prepare for a long-range rocket launch, which the reclusive state carried out last week in defiance of international warnings.

Mehmanparast acknowledged that there was military cooperation during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, but stressed that it was halted, and that their cooperation was limited to humanitarian and political issues.

Tehran and Pyongyang signed an agreement on cooperation in science and technology earlier this year, which added to the speculation over their military cooperation. North Korea and Iran opened their diplomatic relations in 1973.

Regarding North Korea’s 2010 deadly provocations that killed 50 South Koreans, Salehi said, “Iran emphasizes the need to avoid provocative policies and to try to peacefully resolve the bilateral disputes on the basis of the principle of mutual respect.”

Referring to growing popularity of Korean pop culture in Iran, he pointed to the need for a “balance” in the distribution of each other’s cultural products.

The Korean Wave has made significant forays into Iran. Korean period drama “Jumong” was a smash hit in Iran last year. The drama chronicles the founding monarch of Korea’s ancient Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668).

“Common Asian and eastern entity, cultural and historical commonalities as well as the similarity of the issues and problems of the two countries can be referred to as the reasons of the Iranian interest in Korean cultural commodities,” he said.

“But there should be a balance in this regard so that Iranian cultural products can be reciprocally distributed in Korea. Such cultural exchanges can help bring the two nations closer together and pave the way for better understanding.”

Salehi served in various high-level positions including the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, deputy secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Conference, permanent representative of Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency and chancellor of the International Islamic University.

He received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the American University of Beirut in 1972, master’s degree in physics from the same university in 1973, and Ph.D. in engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. in 1977.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)