South Korea to expand naval operations near Strait of Hormuz

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 04:43 · Archive

South Korea will deploy maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team near the Strait of Hormuz to protect shipping.

South Korea's defence ministry announced Thursday that it will expand its Cheonghae anti-piracy naval unit to waters near the Strait of Hormuz. The unit, currently authorised to operate in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, will be deployed to waters near Oman's port of Duqm, approximately 650 kilometres from the strait.

The deployment will include a destroyer, a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal team, unmanned surface vessels, unmanned underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles for underwater exploration. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, normally carrying about a fifth of the world's oil, and has experienced disrupted shipping since the US-Iran war began on 28 February.

Parliamentary approval is required to extend the unit's operational area and deployment to the Middle East, which expires at the end of 2026. A defence ministry official said operations would remain restricted to open waters south of Oman and would be for non-combat purposes, with maritime patrol aircraft prohibited from targeting Iranian territory or the strait interior. The Guardian reports the expansion follows pressure from Donald Trump regarding South Korean support for his war in Iran.

How it is being reported

• South Korea plans to expand anti-piracy operations closer to Hormuz StraitSeoul proposes extending its Cheonghae unit’s patrols to waters near Oman’s Duqm amid US pressure over Iran war.Al Jazeera · 5 Nov, 07:44
• South Korea says it will expand naval operations closer to strait of HormuzSeoul to seek parliamentary approval to extend anti-piracy Cheonghae unit’s area to about 650km from the vital strait after criticism from Donald Trump on Iran war support South Korea plans to expand the operations of its anti-piracy unit to waters closer to the strait of Hormuz, its defence ministry has said, after pressure from Donald Trump to provide support for his war in Iran. The government is to submit a motion to parliament that would expand the Cheonghae unit’s area of operation to waters near the port of Duqm in Oman, which is about 650km (403 miles) away from the strait. The…Guardian World · 5 Nov, 04:22
• South Korea to deploy military mission to keep Strait of Hormuz openSouth Korea will deploy maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team near the Strait of Hormuz to help keep the waterway open, its defence ministry said Thursday. Seoul said it would protect commercial shipping and energy supplies while ruling out military intervention in the ongoing US-Iran war.France 24 · 5 Nov, 02:17

In this story: South Korea · Strait of Hormuz · Iran · United States · Donald Trump · Oman · Gulf of Aden

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log