Press TV - Iran�s new ambassador to Seoul says�there is a �comprehensive plan� aimed at expansion of bilateral ties with South Korea in�face of returning US actions.

The plan would address�the expansion of relations in�political, economic, commercial, cultural, and parliamentary�areas, Saeid Badamchi Shabestari told IRNA on Saturday.

�The plan will be implemented in line with a timed schedule and would take priorities into consideration,� said Shabestari, who entered the Korean capital last week as the Islamic Republic�s new ambassador.

The envoy regretted that the ties had been hit by America's withdrawal in May from a multi-lateral nuclear deal with Iran�and its subsequent imposition of sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The first round of the bans were implemented in August�and the second round is expected to take effect on November 4 targeting Iran�s energy sector, including oil exports.

He, however, said the ties were �friendly and strong� in nature. The fact that the relations had been founded on �reality� would keep the countries determined to deepen the ties in�face of America�s �hostile and illegal unilateral actions,� he added.

The Iranian and Korean economies complement one another, he said, reminding that the volume of bilateral trade surpassed the $12-billion benchmark last year. �I consider the mutual interactions and cooperation to be following a very optimistic trend,� the envoy noted.

The two sides have devised several courses of action to galvanize mutual economic and trade relations in�face of the US measures which include using the capacities offered by small and medium-sized industries and enterprises.

Seoul, which had stopped Iranian oil imports under US pressure, had been�seeking waivers from US sanctions to continue buying Iranian crude, Shabestari said.