UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei addressed the possibility of South Korean military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz during a press conference on 7 September, according to a media brief released by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Seoul on 8 September.

Responding to a question on the matter, Baghaei said Iran's position was clear, noting that Tehran has maintained good relations with Seoul and values that relationship. At the same time, he said, both South Korea and other countries understand that participation in what he described as "aggressive and interventionist actions" by the United States in the region would amount to complicity in an act of military aggression. He added that such involvement would only complicate the situation further and would not make maritime routes safer.

Baghaei said Iran has not taken a formal position specifically on the matter, but noted that Tehran has been in contact with relevant South Korean officials through its embassy in Seoul as appropriate. He said Iran had also issued a public warning applicable to all countries, cautioning that states should be careful not to become instruments of what he characterized as U.S. aggressive actions.

The remarks come amid reported pressure from Washington on allied nations, including South Korea, to contribute military assets to secure shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime corridor for oil exports from major Gulf producers including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, roughly 20 to 30 percent of global seaborne oil trade passes through the strait, and South Korea relies on Middle Eastern producers for more than 70 percent of its total crude oil imports, according to data from Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea National Oil Corporation.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry has responded cautiously to the matter, stating on 7 September that the government is in close communication with relevant countries and the international community to help restore peace and stability in the Middle East and to ensure the free passage of all vessels, including South Korean ships, through the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korea previously navigated similar pressure in 2020, when it expanded the operational area of its Cheonghae naval unit, then deployed off the Gulf of Aden, to include the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf on a temporary basis, without formally joining the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct, in an effort to balance its alliance with Washington against its economic relationship with Tehran.