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Iran is aggressively courting Korea to break its global isolation amid the U.S.-Iran conflict, publicly praising Seoul for separating humanitarian engagement from Washington's military pressure.
The diplomatic push follows a direct phone call between the nations' foreign ministers regarding the safe passage of 26 Korean vessels currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke Saturday. Cho emphasized that safe passage must be guaranteed for ships from various countries, including the Korean vessels unable to exit the strait. During the call — the third between the foreign ministers since the conflict escalated in February — Araghchi updated Cho on the status of peace talks with the United States.
The phone call, requested by Tehran, underscores Iran's strategic focus on communicating with Korea. Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency published an editorial Wednesday lauding the Korean government's pragmatic approach.
Chung Byung-ha, special envoy of the foreign minister, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, April 22. Courtesy of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"In this crisis, South Korea, unlike some of Washington’s Western allies, did not confine itself to taking political stances; it put in place a series of practical measures and political signals," the editorial said.
It noted that Korea "endeavored not to define itself solely as a political companion to Washington and, at least at the humanitarian level, to distinguish between the Iranian people and the logic of military pressure."
The editorial highlighted Seoul's recent dispatch of a special envoy to Iran to deliver $500,000 in humanitarian aid.
A diplomatic source noted this engagement helps Tehran counter the narrative of isolation as the U.K., France and the U.S. prepare to form multinational naval coalitions to secure strait passage.
Source: Korea Times News
