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Gov't to provide $500,000 worth of humanitarian support to Iran

Published: 15 Apr. 2026, 10:33

Officials and media representatives gather around a damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran on April 4, following a strike. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korea has decided to provide $500,000 worth of humanitarian assistance to war-torn Iran at the request of international organizations, including the United Nations, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

The government plans to deliver the funds through the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ministry said, voicing hope that the support will help alleviate the humanitarian situation.

The move comes after Seoul sent a special envoy to Tehran over the weekend, as Korea seeks to ensure the safety of vessels and crew members linked to the country that remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Korean government was initially cautious about initiating talks with Iran to secure the release of the vessels, as it worried that revealing the ships' locations would backfire. However, that situation began to shift last week following the U.S.-Iran cease-fire.

Since then, the government has also adjusted its strategy to secure the release of its own vessels rather than uphold the principle of freedom of navigation, which dictates that ships under a sovereign state will not be met with interference from any other state while in international waters.

A map shows the Strait of Hormuz. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Last month, Korea sent $2 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Lebanon.

The government had treated humanitarian aid to the Middle East and negotiations over the vessels stranded in the Hormuz as separate issues until recently. Now, some officials view providing aid as a means of helping Korean vessels by encouraging greater cooperation from Iran.

There are 26 Korean-flagged vessels in the Strait, along with 130 Korean sailors on Korean-flagged vessels and 37 on foreign-flagged vessels as of Tuesday morning, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

BY LEE JI-WON, YONHAP [[email protected]]