As the Trump administration continues to press South Korea to deploy troops to the Hormuz Strait, the Iranian government has issued a warning that such a move would lead to serious consequences.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated on September 7 via X (formerly Twitter), "The relationship between Iran and South Korea has a history of over 64 years, and it has always developed based on mutual respect. Iran values its friendly relations with South Korea very highly."
He added, "However, the Iranian people are currently defending themselves against U.S. aggressive actions and are firmly responding to U.S. war crimes against women and children. The military presence or participation of other countries in the Persian Gulf and Hormuz Strait can only be seen as direct support for the aggressors, leading to serious consequences." He emphasized that "no sovereign nation should succumb to U.S. pressure and threats and become complicit in the invasion and horrific crimes against the great Iranian people."
Baghaei included an image in his post that read, "There are costs to dangerous choices" in Korean.
This message comes as the Trump administration, facing a stalemate in its conflict with Iran, has repeatedly urged South Korea to send troops to the Hormuz Strait. A White House official told Voice of America (VOA) the day before, "South Korea is one of the major importers of oil from the Middle East. We are still waiting for South Korea to commit resources to the region." Additionally, President Donald Trump threatened in an interview with Fox News on August 30 that South Korea had not assisted in the U.S. war efforts against Iran and that they should "remember that."
However, Iran has consistently conveyed that South Korea should not respond to U.S. deployment demands. On September 4, an anonymous senior Iranian political and security official told the Lebanese media outlet Al-Mayadeen, "South Korea should not respond to U.S. pressure to cooperate in illegal military operations."
The official noted, "The situation in which the U.S. is pressuring South Korea to cooperate in illegal military operations is worsening," and expressed hope that South Korea would not sacrifice its interests and reputation due to U.S. aggressive policies. He added, "South Korea is also aware that the instability in the Hormuz Strait is caused by the attacks from the U.S. and Israel," urging South Korea not to ignore this fact.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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