Report: Iran Warns South Korea Hormuz Deployment Would Mean War

With all of the brouhaha in the Middle East, with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, it's easy to overlook how the rest of the world is impacted by what's going on in this strategic region. Case in point: South Korea is a modern, industrialized country, meaning that it's an energy-hungry country. The South Koreans use a lot of petroleum for all the purposes that petroleum is used for, but there's a problem: South Korea imports almost all of its oil, and between 70 and 80 percent of its imported oil transits the Strait of Hormuz on its way to the Korean Peninsula.

That's a problem. Now, there are reports that Seoul is considering sending South Korea naval forces to assist efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, which has drawn a heated response from Tehran.

Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made Iran's stance clear in an X post.

이란과 대한민국의 관계는 64년이 넘는 역사를 지니고 있으며, 양국 관계는 줄곧 상호 존중을 바탕으로 발전해 왔습니다. 이란은 대한민국과의 우호 관계를 매우 중요하게 여기고 있습니다.

그러나 현재 이란 국민이 미국의 침략적 행위에 맞서 자위하고 있으며, 여성과 어린이를 상대로 한 미국의… pic.twitter.com/ThlIXzIyIN

— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) September 7, 2026

The post reads in English:

The relationship between Iran and the Republic of Korea has a history spanning more than 64 years, and the ties between the two countries have consistently developed on the basis of mutual respect. Iran places great importance on its friendly relations with the Republic of Korea. 

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. 

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.

This is, once again, a case of Iran's mouth writing checks its b**t can't cash. Iran's navy is all but gone; they may have a few small craft left that would be better suited for towing water-skiers than using as warships. If they have any aircraft left, which assumes facts not in evidence, then the pilots of those warplanes are looking at them and seeing coffins. If South Korea decided to join the effort to keep oil flowing, oil that South Korea badly needs, there's not much Iran could do about it.

That isn't stopping the Islamic Republic from issuing more superheated gas on the topic.

According to Lebanese pro-Hezbollah broadcaster Al Mayadeen and other outlets on the 5th, a senior Iranian security and political official stated in an interview, "South Korea must not bow to U.S. pressure coercing it into cooperating with Washington's illegal military operations."

The official added, "South Korea should not sacrifice its own national interests and reputation for aggressive U.S. policies that undermine security and stability," stressing, "South Korea is well aware that the root cause of instability in the Strait of Hormuz lies in the aggressive actions of the U.S. and Israel, and this reality must not be overlooked."

The official continued, "If South Korea takes action confronting Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will regard it as direct military aggression against Iran and participation in the war."

While South Korea has not taken any action, Seoul would be justified in replying to that last threat from Iran that any move is "...direct military aggression against Iran and participation in the war," by saying, "And therefore, what?"

South Korea's navy is essentially a frigate navy. They have no aircraft carriers, indeed nothing much larger than a destroyer. It's not at all clear they can spare ships and crews to go halfway around the world into a zone that's already being contested. Then again, South Korea's economy is dependent on oil from the Middle East, and South Korea has to know that Iran doesn't have much to threaten them with.

Odds are that South Korea will make no such move. The economic pressure on Iran is mounting by the day; their currency is crashing, and their economy is in shambles. The pressure put on them by the American Treasury Department is squeezing them tighter than any military action could do. South Korea has to know this, too. If Iran's theocracy is going to fall, it will fall within the next few weeks.

In this reported exchange, Iran is, once more, issuing empty threats.

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