Iran warns South Korea against participating in US military operations

Iran warned South Korea on Monday against participating in US military operations in the Middle East, saying that this would be considered "direct support" for Washington and would lead to "serious consequences."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei wrote in a post in Korean on the “X” platform, Twitter previously: “Given that the Iranian people are currently defending themselves in the face of American aggressive actions... the military presence of any other country or its participation in operations in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz region will inevitably be considered direct support for the party responsible for the acts of aggression, and will lead to dire consequences.”

Seoul is facing American pressure to join the US deployments against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

Last month, US President Donald Trump said he “asked the president of South Korea if they would like to join us in denuclearizing the Islamic Republic of Iran, and their response was: ‘No, thanks!’”

The US President often launched a scathing attack on allies who did not provide assistance in the war.

South Korea later stated that it was in "close contact with the United States on substantive and military ways to contribute" to ensuring freedom of navigation in the strait, and that it was participating in international discussions.

A Korean official said on Friday that the government is studying options for deploying forces for combat and non-combat missions. The official explained that the government is conducting consultations with the United States, the United Kingdom, and France regarding the deployment process, but no decision has been taken in this regard yet.