SEOUL: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told a South Korean special envoy that responsibility for the consequences of the war lay with "aggressors," referring to the United States and Israel, according to a Telegram post by Iran's foreign ministry released on Wednesday (April 22).

The envoy, Chang Byung-ha, held a meeting with Araqchi in Tehran, the ministry said in its post. During the meeting, Araqchi "stressed the necessity for countries to take a clear and decisive stance in condemning this aggression and the brutal crimes against the Iranian people".

The post said Araqchi referred to the military aggression of the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran as the cause and source of the existing insecurity in the Persian Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, tightening its grip on the strategic waterway a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off attacks, with no sign of peace talks restarting.

The status of a two-week-old ceasefire, due to expire earlier this week, remained unclear. In a sharp about-face hours after threatening renewed violence, Trump made what appeared to be a unilateral announcement on Tuesday that the U.S. would extend a ceasefire until it had discussed an Iranian proposal in peace talks to end the two-month-old war.