South Korea is weighing the deployment of military assets to the Strait of Hormuz, the presidential office in Seoul said on 4 September, following pressure from US President Donald Trump over the country’s refusal to assist Washington in its war on Iran.

A presidential official told reporters that military measures are among the options under review but that no deployment has been settled on, pushing back against South Korean media reports that Seoul had already committed to sending assets before the end of the year and would put the matter to parliament this month.

“Nothing has been decided,” the official said.

He added that any deployment would still have to clear South Korean legal requirements, an assessment of military readiness on the Korean Peninsula, and a vote in the National Assembly.

South Korean outlets including JTBC and MBC reported on 3 September that Seoul was preparing to dispatch assets before the end of the year and could seek parliamentary approval this month.

The assets under consideration reportedly include a maritime patrol aircraft, a naval logistics support vessel, a mine detection and clearance unit, and an explosive ordnance disposal team

Seoul is reportedly discussing the extent of its potential contribution with the US, Britain, and France.

Trump ordered the Pentagon on 17 August to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, hours before the drills were due to begin, saying he had asked the South Korean president to join Washington in the “Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and was told, “No thanks!”

He attributed the decision to his relationship with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un and called the drills costly and hostile toward Pyongyang.

The DPRK dismissed the reduction, saying the exercises remain provocative and aggressive and that Washington would not get the response it wants if it intended the move as a goodwill measure.