Iran Grants S. Korea Hormuz Access Under Conditions

(MENAFN) Iran will permit South Korean vessels to transit the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz — but only under a strict coordination framework with Tehran’s military and government, Iran’s ambassador to Seoul confirmed Thursday.

“There are no problems with the (country’s) vessels,” Ambassador Saeed Koozechi told reporters in Seoul, describing South Korea as a “non-adversarial country.” However, he made clear that passage comes with conditions: “But in order for them to go through, you need coordination, prior consultations with the Iranian military and government.”

The declaration comes as approximately 26 South Korean vessels carrying roughly 180 crew members remain stranded in the critical waterway, according to Seoul-based media — ships that once moved freely before hostilities erupted in the region late last month.

During Monday phone calls between both nations’ foreign ministers, Koozechi revealed that Tehran formally requested Seoul “provide the details of the stranded ships.” South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun had initiated the call, pressing his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to guarantee safe passage amid rapidly escalating Middle East tensions.

The economic stakes could not be higher for Seoul: South Korea sources nearly 55% of its total energy supply from Gulf states — a lifeline that flows entirely through the Strait of Hormuz. In 2024 alone, the country spent approximately $144 billion on energy imports. That corridor has remained effectively under Iranian control since the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Tehran on Feb. 28.

In a statement posted on X by Iran’s diplomatic mission in Mumbai, Araghchi indicated that Tehran has already granted transit rights to “friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan” — a list that conspicuously excludes South Korea for now.

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