South Korean, Iranian FMs discuss Strait of Hormuz, Middle East developments

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, held phone talks Friday and discussed recent developments in the Middle East, including vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

During the talks, Cho welcomed the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their monthslong conflict and expressed hope for the faithful implementation of the agreement, as well as further progress in follow-up negotiations, according to the ministry.

Cho also stressed the importance of ensuring the free and safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Araghchi briefed Cho on the status of negotiations with Washington and Iran's position on related issues.

"The two ministers also exchanged views on pending bilateral issues and agreed to remain in close communication regarding the safety of vessels and crews, as well as the protection of their nationals," the ministry said in a release.

The call marked the fifth telephone conversation between the two ministers since the conflict began in late February following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Since the outbreak of the conflict, 26 South Korean-linked vessels had been among more than 1,000 ships stranded inside the Persian Gulf as transit through the Strait of Hormuz became severely restricted.

But a total of 21 Korean vessels have since cleared the waterway, with most of them passing through over the past several days after Tehran agreed to allow vessels to pass without fees for 60 days under last week's MOU with the United States.

President Lee Jae Myung said in a post on social platform X on Friday that three more vessels are expected to transit the waterway over the weekend.

One of the remaining ships is the HMM Namu, which is undergoing repairs after being damaged by Iranian-linked missile attacks last month.