Photo : YONHAP News
Anchor: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has told Tehran’s top diplomat that Seoul has made no decision on whether to help Washington in its war against Iran. Their telephone talks came amid pressure from the United States on South Korea to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz, and days after Tehran warned that such action would have serious consequences.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report: The top diplomats from Seoul and Tehran have held telephone talks amid rising U.S. pressure on Seoul to aid its military campaign against Iran.
The South Korean foreign ministry says Minister Cho Hyun and his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, discussed the situation in the Middle East on Friday afternoon at Iran’s request.
This comes as Seoul is weighing whether to send troops to the Middle East to assist the U.S. in normalizing free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The South Korean minister told Araghchi that no decision has been made and emphasized the significance of the shipping lane, and Araghchi explained Iran’s position, according to the ministry.
In a Telegram post, Araghchi said he and Cho talked about the “latest regional developments,” without elaborating further.
But earlier this week, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei released an explicit warning for Seoul on social media.
The Korean-language message said, “Dangerous choices come with consequences.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has exerted intense pressure on South Korea to deploy military forces to the Strait of Hormuz, leveraging the U.S. security commitment and scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea as he demands Seoul’s support for the fight against Iran.