Iran has advised South Korea to refrain from sending forces to the Strait of Hormuz, warning that doing so could make Seoul a party to military aggression, Yonhap News TV reported on Monday. The message was directed at South Korean authorities as they considered changes to the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit, the country's anti-piracy naval contingent.
According to Yonhap News TV, Tehran's appeal included a hope that South Korea would not become what it described as an accomplice to military invasion.
The reported warning came as South Korea's government addressed questions about expanding the Cheonghae Unit's operational area. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul reiterated the country's principles of non-involvement in and non-interference in foreign wars, according to MBC News, responding to allegations of a "circumvented deployment." KBS News reported that the ruling party said the expansion is consistent with the principle of not entering the war, while the opposition described the decision as one taken under pressure with no easy options.