A warning from Iran to South Korea

A senior Iranian security and political official has issued a serious warning that if South Korea takes steps to deploy its military forces to the Strait of Hormuz, it will be considered direct involvement in the military aggression carried out by America and Israel.

Iran urges South Korea not to succumb to pressure to support illegal US military operations and to protect its national interests and reputation. The Iranian official pointed out that the main reason for the instability in the Hormuz region is the aggressive activities carried out by America and Israel, and emphasized that any Korean military intervention in the Strait of Hormuz against Iran would be assessed as a direct military attack.

Iranian media reports state that the South Korean presidential office (Blue House) has not yet made a final decision amidst pressure from US President Donald Trump to join military actions against Iran, and is considering the possibility of sending a 'search and rescue force' to the Strait of Hormuz. On previous occasions, Ibrahim Azizi, Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, appreciated South Korea's decision not to send troops during a discussion with South Korean parliamentary representative Kim Seok-ki. Furthermore, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also requested criticism of America's and Israel's aggressive policies when he met with South Korean representative Chung Byung-ha last April.

A massive protest movement has also been organized in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, against this military deployment plan. Based on Article 5 of the country's constitution regarding the maintenance of international peace and the rejection of aggressive wars, the country's leftist and progressive political groups are strongly opposing this military deployment. The progressive party in South Korea insists that President Lee Jae-myung should make a clear statement that no soldiers or ships will be sent to the Strait of Hormuz.

Additionally, there are accusations that the South Korean presidential office is using the topic of military deployment through the media for internal political gain and to gauge public opinion. Kim Joon-hyung, parliamentary leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, stated that decisions regarding the lives of the country's young soldiers should not be made through low-level political tactics of leaking information to the media and observing public reactions. He further added that investigations should be conducted against officials who mislead the public using such sensitive military topics outside of national interests, and accountability should be established.