South Korea Pressured to Join US Naval Blockade of Iran

Iran has warned South Korea of "serious consequences" if it joins the US-led naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, after President Trump pressured Seoul to contribute military assets and cut joint US-South Korea drills when it initially refused. South Korea, reliant on the Gulf for up to 70 percent of its crude oil, is now weighing a limited military contribution despite domestic opposition and economic strain from soaring inflation. The episode shows how the Israel-Iran conflict is drawing in distant US allies and hardening global alignments, a pattern consistent with escalating war conditions that precede wider international confrontation.