U.S. Defense Secretary urges South Korea to step up in Hormuz 'Liberation Project'

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday urged South Korea to do more to help ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, including by joining the U.S. military’s “Liberation Project.”
 
According to Yonhap News Agency, Hegseth made the remarks at a Pentagon news conference when asked whether South Korea showed signs of accepting President Donald Trump’s social media request to take part in the project. “I hope so,” he said, adding that he wants South Korea to “step up.”
 
Hegseth said he also wants Japan, Australia and Europe to do more. “We’re not just waiting for them to do it,” he said, stressing that the United States aims to create conditions that allow responsibilities to be handed over.
 
He added that Trump has made clear: “This is your ship. You have to play a role in defense.” “We very much want them to do that,” Hegseth said.
 
Asked whether South Korea and the U.S. military were in contact regarding a South Korean vessel reported to have been struck by Iran, Hegseth said U.S. Central Command was communicating with the ship. He said such targeted attacks reflect what he described as Iran’s indiscriminate behavior.

Hegseth said a ceasefire with Iran remains in place, warning that if Iran attacks U.S. forces or commercial ships, it would face “overwhelming and devastating” U.S. firepower.

The United States launched the Liberation Project on the 4th, Middle East time, to help guide commercial ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz out of the area.