Iran urges S Korea to refrain from deploying troops near Strait of Hormuz
Iran urged South Korea to refrain from deploying military forces to the region for naval operations aimed at helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that such a move could further complicate an already volatile situation.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei made the remarks in response to a question about reports concerning a possible South Korean naval deployment to help reopen the strategic waterway.
“South Korea should refrain from sending its military forces to the region to conduct certain naval operations aimed at helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz and should keep itself out of an issue that is already complicated enough,” Baqaei said.
He described relations between Iran and South Korea as relatively longstanding, dating back more than 60 years, and said the ties had consistently been based on mutual respect and consideration for the interests of both countries.
“The Iranian people do not expect countries other than the United States, the Israeli regime and some of their allies, which openly or covertly supported this military aggression, to put themselves alongside the United States and the Israeli regime and in the position of accomplices in the military aggression of several months ago,” he added.
He urged governments to steer clear of any moves that would only add to regional tensions and make an already complicated situation more difficult to resolve.
Iran has maintained a tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday it would deploy maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team to waters near the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission to help keep the waterway open.
The announcement comes as Seoul maintains it will not deploy troops to intervene militarily in the aggression against Iran, while seeking to protect commercial shipping and energy supplies through one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.