TEHRAN — Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyeon, spoke by phone on Friday. The two top diplomats discussed bilateral relations, the broader conflict in West Asia, and the situation around the Strait of Hormuz amid US military adventurism in the region.  

The high-level diplomatic outreach highlights the significance of direct communication between Tehran and Seoul, coming on the heels of reports that South Korea is assessing whether to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz. 

South Korean defense authorities disclosed that they had dispatched a specialized fact-finding mission to assess the situation on the ground in Hormuz. While official spokespersons in Seoul were quick to stress that no final decision had been made regarding any deployment, South Korea had previously acknowledged that it was actively considering “contributions” to US security efforts along the vital maritime corridor, provided that its own military readiness was not compromised. 

Under South Korean constitutional law, should Seoul decide to deploy armed forces to the strait, the executive branch cannot act unilaterally; it would require formal parliamentary approval by a majority vote in the National Assembly—a hurdle that grows increasingly steep as public opposition intensifies.  

Public outrage and street protests in Seoul

Dozens of South Korean anti-war activists, civil society leaders, and ordinary citizens gathered across from the massive United States embassy compound in Seoul on Wednesday to demand that their government unequivocally reject Washington’s pressure to deploy troops to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, fiercely slamming the ongoing campaign as an “illegal war”.  The protesters unfurled banners and waved signs bearing powerful messages such as “Do not join a war of aggression”. They voiced their collective indignation as South Korean political and military leaders continue to weigh a potential “contribution” to the waterway’s security at the behest of the White House. 

With passions running high against foreign military entanglements, the crowd echoed a resounding plea directly toward the presidential office: “We cannot send our young people into a sea of death!”  Speaking outside the embassy, Jung Kyung-jik of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy affirmed that Iranian concerns are grounded in legal reality: “As Iran has said, the deployment of our troops to the region would amount to direct participation in an illegal war”. 

Choi Young-ok from Korean Peace Solidarity for Sovereignty and Reunification added, “Sending our troops to an illegal war waged by the United States is unacceptable... There is no reason for us to send troops when no other country has done so or said it would.” 

 The prospect of South Korea's potential military involvement in the Persian Gulf has drawn strong warnings from authorities in Iran, who have made it clear that any foreign intervention alongside hostile American forces will not go unanswered. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has emphasized that such involvement would amount to “direct” support for the United States and would inevitably lead to serious consequences.