IRNA – Iranian foreign minister issued Thursday an ultimatum to Samsung Co to apologize for excluding the Iranian Olympians from receiving phones as a gift in South Korea Winter Olympics, an informed source said.


If Samsung Electronics Co does not withdraw from its decision until Thursday afternoon, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif will not use Samsung any more as he has it now as his cell phone, the source told Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

PyeongChang Olympic organizers won't provide North Korean and Iranian players with Samsung smartphones, which are available free to all other athletes, for fear of violating international sanctions on the countries, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted officials as saying on Wednesday.

Secretary General of National Olympic Committee of Iran Shahrokh Shahnazi has sent separate letters to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), South Korea's National Olympic Committee and the country's ambassador to Tehran to follow up Samsung's anti-Olympics measure.

Iran's Foreign Ministry, too, has summoned the ambassador of South Korea after samsung denied giving the Olympic-edition smartphones to the Iranian athletes.