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Foreign Minister Cho to hold call with Iranian counterpart following U.S.-Iran cease-fire deal

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 19:03

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, right, talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi during the United Nations General Assembly High-level Week in September 2025. [YONHAP]

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is expected to speak by phone with his Iranian counterpart late Thursday, officials said, following the cease-fire between the United States and Iran, with stranded Korea-related vessels in the Strait of Hormuz likely to top the agenda.

It will be Cho's second phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in just over two weeks, and comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of the two-week cease-fire agreement with Tehran.

Seoul has been weighing measures that will best address the 26 Korean ships stranded in the shipping lane that has effectively been blocked by Iran, including ways to secure their passage through the waterway.

“Given the significant development of the U.S.-Iran cease-fire, the two sides are expected to exchange views on how the situation in the Strait of Hormuz may evolve going forward,” a ministry official told reporters.

Asked if the ministers will discuss allowing transit of the stranded ships, the official said the priority is to identify the conditions Iran has put forward with regards to the passage.

“We will need to clarify the specific criteria or conditions Iran has in m ind for passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “Whether any conditions actually exist, or whether the U.S. and Iran have agreed to allow transit without conditions — that will need to be confirmed before we can decide on measures regarding the vessels.”

In a statement released by Araghchi earlier, he said safe passage through the strait will be possible for the two-week period through “coordination” with Iran's military and with “due consideration of technical limitations,” if attacks against Tehran are stopped.

“We are consulting with shipping firms and communicating with relevant countries on measures for the passage of Korean vessels, taking into account both that the cease-fire has created conditions for resuming transit and that the situation still remains fluid,” Park Il, ministry spokesperson, said in a press briefing.

Yonhap