South Korea's presidential office announced Friday that Seoul is studying how to make a "contribution" to securing the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway where tensions have mounted since fighting erupted between the United States and Iran. The statement came as Iran launched new attacks on American targets in the Gulf and vowed retaliation for an airstrike that killed four people at a wedding on Tuesday, which Washington said it is investigating.
Iran's state news agency reported Thursday that the country launched missiles and drones at an American military base in Kuwait in its largest escalation in more than a month. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Thursday he would not describe the confrontation with Iran as a "war," despite six months of hostilities between the two countries.
When asked at a White House press conference whether the conflict would end by midterm elections in November, Vance said: "I won't describe it as a war. Right now, there's no active firefighting." President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday that the United States is ready to launch another strike "any time we want."
Analysis published by Reuters concluded that the blast destroying the wedding in southern Iran on Tuesday resulted most likely from a direct hit by American munitions, based on weapons experts' review of verified photographs and video footage. Three senior Iranian sources said Washington's campaign to choke Iran's economy by restricting oil exports and blocking sanctions evasion has intensified in recent weeks.
Joshua Zakka, Israel's ambassador to France, said Thursday that strengthening the Lebanese army is essential to allow Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon. The official Yonhap news agency quoted a presidential office official as saying that any "contributions related to the Strait of Hormuz can be managed within limits that do not affect South Korea's military readiness against threats it faces."
