MojNews_ Seoul announced today that South Korea had used $ 18 million of Iran's frozen assets to pay for Iran's membership in the United Nations, AFP reported.

Iran had lost its right to vote in the United Nations due to its inability to pay its dues.

The South Korean Ministry of Finance said in a statement today that the payment was made on Friday in cooperation with the United States and the United Nations at Iran's request from South Korea.

The ministry added:

With this payment, Iran's right to vote in the UN General Assembly is expected to be restored immediately.

Iran has more than $ 7 billion in assets to sell oil shipments to two South Korean banks that have been frozen by US sanctions. The Islamic Republic of Iran was South Korea's third largest trading partner before the United States pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal.

The United Nations suspended Iran's right to vote in the General Assembly earlier this month. According to the UN Charter, a member state's right to vote is suspended when the arrears of that country are equal to or greater than the salaries it owed over the past two years. Iran lost its right to vote last year for the same reason. The United Nations has said Iran could not pay the minimum amount due to US economic sanctions.