The Korea Times
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. "In this crisis, South Korea, unlike some of Washington’s Western allies, did not confine itself
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