South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, discussed the situation in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz on Friday in a phone call held after Tehran warned against Seoul taking part militarily in operations in the Gulf and the waterway.
Seoul-Tehran call follows disruption to shipping
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the call was held at Tehran’s request. It came days after Seoul announced that it was considering contributing to the security of the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has faced severe disruption since the war between the United States and Iran began on 28 February.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said on Monday that any South Korean military presence or participation in operations in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz would be considered support for what he called “US aggression,” warning of “grave consequences.” In a post in Korean on X, Baghaei said relations between Tehran and Seoul extended back more than 64 years and had developed on the basis of mutual respect.
Iran rejects any South Korean military contribution
He also reaffirmed his country’s opposition to any South Korean military contribution in the region. South Korea’s Defence Ministry, meanwhile, announced on Tuesday that it had sent a fact-finding team to assess the regional situation and security conditions in the Strait of Hormuz.
It stressed that the team’s mission did not mean that troop deployment had been decided in advance, and that Seoul had made no decision on the matter. The team left for the United Arab Emirates over the past weekend to assess operational conditions related to the possible deployment of troops, according to South Korean officials.
The move followed a decision by US President Donald Trump in August to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, partly because Seoul was reluctant to assist Washington in its war with Iran.
