Iran blames U.S., Israel for Strait crisis
Abbas Araghchi links tensions to aggression, urges diplomacy with South Korea
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks in Tehran with visiting South Korean special envoy Chung Byung‑ha, blaming recent instability in the Strait of Hormuz on what he called military aggression by the United States and Israel. Araghchi said aggressors bear full responsibility for any consequences affecting the strategic waterway and defended actions Tehran has taken “in accordance with international law and its domestic regulations” to protect national security.
He recounted Tehran’s sequence of measures: closing the strait to hostile forces after hostilities on February 28, reopening it to commercial traffic following a U.S. ceasefire announcement on April 7, and later imposing a total closure on April 18 after the U.S. said it would continue what Iran termed an unlawful blockade. Araghchi urged countries to condemn the aggression and called for stronger ties with South Korea, offering cooperation to that end.
Chung expressed hope that sustained diplomacy would bring a decisive end to the aggression and restore regional peace and stability, and conveyed greetings from South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, stressing the importance Seoul places on enhancing relations with Iran.
