South Korean Ship Allowed to Pass Hormuz Strait After Coordination with Iran

JAKARTA - Iran's ambassador to South Korea said on Thursday that the Ginseng State's ships could pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but only after coordinating with Tehran.

"There is no problem with the ships (of the country)," said Ambassador Saeed Koozechi, referring to South Korea as a "non-hostile country," as quoted by The Korea Times (27/3).

"But for them to be able to pass it, coordination is needed, consultation first with the military and the Iranian government," he told reporters in Seoul.

According to Yonhap News, about 26 South Korean ships with about 180 crew members are still stranded on the shipping lane, which was crowded before the war began late last month.

Ambassador Koozechi said Tehran asked Seoul to "provide details of the stranded ships" during a phone call on Monday between their foreign ministers.

Earlier this week, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Monday urged Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

South Korea gets nearly 55 percent of its energy supplies from Gulf countries, which pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which effectively remains under Iranian control after the US and Israel began attacking Tehran with airstrikes on February 28.

Seoul pays about $144 billion by 2024 for its energy purchases from the Middle East.

Separately, a statement attributed to Foreign Minister Araghchi, Tehran has allowed passage through the Strait of Hormuz for "friendly countries including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan," Iran's diplomatic mission in Mumbai said in a post on social media X.