SEOUL, Sept 11, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - South Korea's foreign minister told his
Iranian counterpart on Friday that no decision had been made on a possible
military deployment in the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul said.

Tehran has warned South Korea against any such deployment after Seoul said it
was weighing a "contribution" to the waterway's security.

Top South Korean diplomat Cho Hyun spoke by phone with Iran's Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi at Tehran's request, "discussing the recent situation
in the Middle East" and the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry in Seoul
said in a statement.

A ministry official said Cho "conveyed our position that no decision has been
made regarding a possible deployment and stressed the importance of restoring
freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured ally South Korea to
provide help for the war in the Middle East, saying Seoul rejected his
request for assistance in securing the waterway that is crucial to global oil
supplies.

Friday's phone call followed a warning from Tehran earlier this week that any
South Korean military contribution to the conflict would have "serious
consequences".

South Korea said it had sent a fact-finding team to assess the situation in
the strait.

Traffic through the vital shipping route has been virtually paralysed since
the US-Iran war began on February 28, disrupting global energy markets.

Negotiations between Iran and the United States have stalled as they vied for
control over Hormuz, which normally carries around a fifth of the world's oil
and liquefied natural gas exports.