South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

2026.03.20 00:20 South Koreans protest against US President Donald Trump’s request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz in front of the US embassy in Seoul on Monday. Photo: TNS South Korea finds itself boxed in as Tehran moves to turn the Strait of Hormuz into a bargaining chip amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, leaving Seoul caught between its dependence on Middle East oil and its unwillingness to antagonise Washington. Economists note that South Korea relies on Washington’s security umbrella to deter threats from nuclear-armed North Korea and that its oil trade is settled in US dollars – two realities that sit awkwardly alongside Iran’s push for yuan-based energy purchases as the price of passage. “It is unrealistic for South Korea to break away from this long-standing framework and pursue separate negotiations with Iran,” said Nah Won-jun, an economics professor at Kyungpook National University. “Efforts to diversify energy and material suppliers have fallen short, as the country has remained deeply embedded in the US-led global trade network for decades. However, the costs of operating within this system are rising rapidly, especially for South Korea.” Iran is reportedly allowing certain vessels through the strait, effectively turning a right of free transit into a privilege dispensed by Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the waterway is “open” but “closed only to our enemies”. Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE last week amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Photo: Reuters Lloyd’s List reported on Wednesday that several governments, including India, Pakistan, Iraq, Malaysia and China, were in talks with Iran for vessels to sail through the strait under a vetting system run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). At least nine ships have been routed close to Iran’s Larak Island for checks by the IRGC Navy and port authorities before leaving the strait, according to the r

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