S. Korean oil tanker leaving Strait of Hormuz after consultations with Iran

SEOUL -- A South Korean oil tanker is leaving the Strait of Hormuz after consultations with Iran, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Wednesday.

Cho made the remarks while attending a parliamentary foreign affairs committee meeting, saying the tanker was passing through the strait "at this moment."

If the tanker enters the Gulf of Oman, it will become the first South Korean vessel to leave the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict in late February, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The number of South Korean vessels still waiting inside the strait will be reduced to 25, Yonhap said.

A foreign ministry official was quoted as saying that South Korea was in talks with Iran for the free and swift passage of all its vessels.