Iran war tests South Korea’s alliance with the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House in Washington in August last year. | REUTERS

Sep 10, 2026

More than two decades after the Iraq War drew South Korea into a contentious overseas troop deployment, Seoul is again facing pressure to send military assets to the Middle East, as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks allied support for a war with Iran that has no clear end in sight. 

Since the conflict broke out in February, the Trump administration has repeatedly criticized allies and partners — including Seoul and Tokyo — for failing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which carried more than a quarter of global seaborne oil trade before the war.

South Korea has come under particularly intense scrutiny in recent weeks, with Trump publicly singling out President Lee Jae Myung for declining to help U.S. operations against Iran and citing Seoul’s reluctance when ordering an unusual reduction in the annual joint Ulchi Freedom Shield military drill last month. 

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