South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (Cho Hyun) spoke by phone with Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi and “discussed the recent situation in the Middle East” and the Strait of Hormuz, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
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U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly pressured ally South Korea to provide assistance in the Middle East war. Trump said Seoul rejected his request to help secure this waterway, which is crucial for global oil supply.
The statement was released on Friday after Tehran earlier this week warned that any South Korean military involvement in the conflict would have “serious consequences.”
South Korea sent a fact-finding team to assess the situation in the strait and has repeatedly stated that it has not yet decided whether to send its troops to Hormuz.
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Shipping on this vital route has been nearly paralyzed since February 28, when the U.S. and Iran war began, disrupting global energy markets.
Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. stalled as they fought over control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports usually pass.
