Hoda Nikoo, a model who is a former Miss Iran and had raised concerns that the $500,000 (about 740 million won) in humanitarian aid that Korea decided to provide to Iran could be misused by the Iranian regime, said, "There were parts I had misunderstood." Nikoo said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official discussed the matter with her and added, "I thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who kindly explained it despite being busy."
On the 17th on Instagram, Hoda Nikoo said, "I ended up speaking directly with a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official regarding the post I uploaded on the 16th." Nikoo added, "I received a detailed explanation about Korea's humanitarian aid," saying, "Medicines and food will be delivered through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and they will continue to manage the process to ensure they reach those in need." Nikoo continued, "This gave me a chance to understand a bit more accurately," and "I thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who kindly explained it despite being busy."
The previous day, Hoda Nikoo criticized Korea's aid to Iran on social media, saying, "If you send money to Iran at this time, it will go not to the people but to the dictatorial regime that massacred 40,000 people and be used for terrorism or to purchase weapons."
As debate continued over the matter, Hoda Nikoo deleted the post. Nikoo then uploaded a new post saying, "I know that what I wrote may feel a bit strong," and that it "expressed the frustration on behalf of Iranians who contact me."
On the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an explanatory note, saying, "Korea's humanitarian aid to Iran is carried out through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which strictly adheres to established humanitarian principles in the international community, so there is no possibility of it being diverted by the Iranian government."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the International Committee of the Red Cross is directly conducting on-site assessments, project planning, and implementation, and thoroughly checking all processes to ensure direct support to victims. It added that, in addition to Korea, other major countries such as Switzerland and the European Union (EU) are also providing emergency humanitarian aid through international organizations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Humanitarian aid through international organizations is the most certain way to eliminate the possibility of diversion for political or military purposes, especially in conflict situations," and added, "This is an established practice of the international community, and we express strong regret over claims that baselessly distort the humanitarian aid system through international organizations."