Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Monday threatened South Korea with “serious consequences” if it sends ships, planes, or personnel to help secure the Strait of Hormuz against Iranian terrorism.
Baqaei began his threatening message on social media platform X by praising the 64-year history of “mutual respect” and “friendly relations” between Iran and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
“However, at present, the Iranian people are defending themselves against America’s aggressive actions, and in the situation where they are resolutely responding to America’s war crimes against women and children, any other country maintaining a military presence or participating in operations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz can only be regarded as directly supporting the perpetrators of the aggression, and it will lead to serious consequences,” Baqaei said.
“No sovereign and responsible country should yield to America’s pressure and threats and become complicit in the aggressive acts and horrific crimes against the great Iranian people,” he concluded.
The South Korean government said on Friday that “nothing has been decided” about a potential deployment to the Strait of Hormuz to protect international shipping against Iranian piracy and terrorism, but some options were under discussion, including sending troops, maritime patrol aircraft, and a support ship.
President Donald Trump expressed frustration a few weeks ago with South Korea saying “no thanks” when he asked it to “join us in the denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The government of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is reportedly considering “contributions” it could make to get back into Washington’s good graces.
On Sunday, Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi told the Arab independent news service Al Mayadeen that South Korea has assets in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar that would be vulnerable to Iranian terror attacks.
“If the South Koreans participate in this war against Iran, Iran will see it as the enemy,” he said.
Maranti mocked South Korea for considering a purely symbolic deployment that would invite Iran’s vengeance without substantially altering the balance of power in the Strait of Hormuz.
“What is a ship or two from South Korea going to do? It’s foolish,” he scoffed.
“Iran will not only target the South Korean military assets, but Iran could easily destroy their economic assets across the Persian Gulf region,” he boasted. “The Koreans are very vulnerable to Iran. Iran can hurt them very badly.”
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