Iran Warns South Korea in Korean That Hormuz Military Role Would Carry ‘a Price’

Iran Foreign Ministry issues Korean-language warning over Hormuz deployment

Military participation would be seen as direct support for US attacks, Tehran says

Government reviews whether to send forces, says decision requires deep consideration

Iran has issued a public warning over the possibility that South Korea could take part in operations in the Strait of Hormuz. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a message written in Korean that any military participation there would be regarded as direct support for US attacks on Iran.

Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, posted on X on Sept. 7 and first highlighted the long diplomatic relationship between Seoul and Tehran. “Relations between Iran and the Republic of Korea have a history of more than 64 years, and ties between the two countries have consistently developed on the basis of mutual respect,” he wrote. “Iran attaches great importance to its friendly relationship with the Republic of Korea.”

“Military participation is direct backing for an aggressor”

Baghaei then drew a firm line on military activity in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. “The military presence or operational participation of another country in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz can only be regarded as direct support for the party committing aggression,” he wrote, adding that such a move would bring serious consequences.

The post also included an image bearing the Korean-language phrase, “Dangerous choices carry a price.” Tasnim News Agency, a semi-official outlet affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, described the message as a warning over South Korea’s potential military role in the Strait of Hormuz.

Baghaei also repeated Tehran’s position that Iran is responding to US attacks. He said Iranians were acting in self-defense against what he called US aggression and responding firmly to US war crimes against women and children.

He added that no sovereign and responsible country should yield to US pressure and threats and join what he described as aggression and grave crimes against the Iranian people. The message made clear that Tehran does not want South Korea to join military action at Washington’s request.

Iran steps up warnings as Seoul weighs its decision

This is not the first time Iran has publicly objected to a possible South Korean deployment to Hormuz. In an interview with Lebanon’s pro-Iran outlet Al Mayadeen on Sept. 4, a senior Iranian political and security official said Tehran would view any dispatch of South Korean troops as direct participation in military attacks on Iran.

At the time, the official said South Korea should not bow to pressure from Washington to cooperate with what he called illegal US operations. Three days later, the Foreign Ministry spokesman issued a direct warning in Korean, underscoring Iran’s effort to raise pressure before the South Korean government makes its final decision.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly asked South Korea, Japan and European countries to send forces after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to US and Israeli attacks that began in late February. The strait is a critical shipping route for Middle Eastern crude, and Washington has pressed allies to participate under the banner of protecting freedom of navigation.

The South Korean government has been reviewing whether to join the Freedom of Navigation Initiative in the Strait of Hormuz, a multilateral consultative framework led by Britain and France and involving more than 40 countries. At the same time, it has remained in contact with Iran and has yet to make a final decision on the form of participation, including whether to send troops.

Tasnim also reported that the South Korean government is examining various ways to contribute to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but has not made a final decision. That indicates Tehran is closely watching Seoul’s review.

South Korea’s president says the issue is hard to ignore under Trump pressure

Trump also directly mentioned South Korea’s response to Iran when he ordered a sharp reduction in joint US-South Korea military exercises on Aug. 16. In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “This may be somewhat unrelated (?), but I recently asked the president of South Korea whether they were willing to join Iran’s denuclearization, and they said, ‘No thanks.’”

Seoul is weighing its response between US demands and repeated warnings from Iran. The government must consider not only possible military participation, but also navigational safety in the Strait of Hormuz and South Korea’s energy and diplomatic interests.

President Lee Jae-myung said at a meeting with civil society representatives on Sept. 4 that the Hormuz deployment issue was difficult to ignore because South Korea has interests at stake. He added that the matter is militarily sensitive and requires deep consideration.

Domestic opinion is also split over how South Korea should respond in the Strait of Hormuz. In a poll released on Sept. 6 by the Reform Institute of 1,017 adults nationwide, 34.9% supported dispatching South Korean troops, while 31.8% favored providing only defensive weapons without sending forces. Another 27.6% said South Korea should not take part in military support.

On the government’s failure to decide for more than six months after the US request in March, 50.9% said it was handling the matter poorly, compared with 42.2% who said it was doing well. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Hong Min-seong, Hankyung.com reporter mshong@hankyung.com