TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, held a telephone conversation on Wednesday to discuss the latest diplomatic situation, regional developments, and the state of bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.

During the call, the two ministers exchanged assessments across these three areas. 

In a separate development, Araghchi announced that Iran — as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz — is engaged in consultations aimed at drafting new regulations governing the strategic waterway in accordance with international law.

The foreign minister made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday with Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, who led a diplomatic delegation to the Iranian capital for talks with officials.

During the meeting, Araghchi and Kravik discussed Iran-Norway bilateral relations, the ongoing US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, and the security and economic consequences of the conflict. They also reviewed the latest status of the Islamabad negotiation process.

Araghchi described excessive demands, threatening and provocative rhetoric from the American side, along with Washington's lack of goodwill and honesty, as the primary obstacles to ending the war definitively and reaching a possible agreement.

He further stated that the root cause of the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz is the military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran.

Referring to Iran's consultations on drafting executive arrangements to strengthen and facilitate safe passage through the strait, Araghchi reaffirmed Tehran's commitment to formulating regulations consistent with international law.

The Norwegian diplomat, for his part, stressed the need to establish lasting peace and stability in the region and to safeguard international law. He also expressed Norway's readiness to assist in strengthening diplomacy and to provide consultations on maritime safety and environmental protection.