SEOUL: South Korea said on Tuesday it had sent a fact-finding team to assess the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing no decision had been made about potential troop deployment to the strategic waterway. Traffic through the vital shipping route has been virtually paralysed since the US-Iran war began on February 28, disrupting global energy markets.
The South Korean defence ministry said it had "dispatched a fact-finding team to assess conditions on the ground in the Strait of Hormuz". "The team was sent to examine the regional situation and security conditions, and its mission does not presuppose an actual deployment," it said. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured ally South Korea to provide help for the war in the Middle East. "No decision has been made regarding the deployment of troops," the South Korean defence ministry said. The team is expected to return to South Korea as early as this week, the report said.
Earlier, South Korea said it was considering "contributions" to US security efforts along the strait, while stressing that no decision had been made. Tuesday's announcement followed a warning from Tehran a day earlier that any South Korean military contribution to the conflict would have "serious consequences". — AFP
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