South Korea Rejects Trump's Request for Troops in Iran War

President Lee Jae Myung announced Friday that South Korea will not deploy troops or military assets to the Strait of Hormuz to support the U.S.-led war against Iran. The decision follows a period of internal deliberation and the dispatch of a survey team to the region. Lee stated that while South Korea will not engage in combat or military intervention, it may expand the operational scope of a navy destroyer currently on anti-piracy duty near Somalia to protect commercial shipping and crude oil shipments in the Red Sea or the Strait of Hormuz.

This refusal comes amid escalating tension with President Donald Trump, who criticized Seoul for its reluctance to assist in reopening the strategic waterway while U.S. troops remain on the Korean Peninsula. In response to the disagreement, Trump has scaled back joint military exercises, arguing they were too expensive and sent the wrong signal to North Korea. Simultaneously, the two nations are negotiating a pact involving South Korean investments of $350 billion in U.S. manufacturing in exchange for tariff reductions.

Domestically, Lee faces plummeting approval ratings of 37 percent driven by a stock market crash and rising housing costs. His decision aligns with public sentiment and anti-war protests in Seoul. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry warned that any foreign military presence in the Persian Gulf would be viewed as support for aggression and would lead to serious consequences. Separately, Lee expressed support for potential renewed dialogue between Trump and North Korea, suggesting such talks would be easier to resume than inter-Korean dialogue.