Iran Warns South Korea: Ships Entering New Zone Will Face Sanctions

"South Korea’s participation in activity in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz will have ‘serious consequences,’" Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson wrote this morning (Monday) in a post on X. The Iranian spokesperson added that "these actions will be considered support for U.S. aggression."

The Iranian announcement followed reports that the South Korean government is considering the possibility of deploying military forces to the Strait of Hormuz at the request of the United States, while stressing that no final decision has yet been made on the matter.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Iran said it would announce a new sanctions zone in the Persian Gulf in the coming days, along with maps of a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, after attacks on shipping over the weekend sent oil prices higher on Monday.

The new restricted zone will begin where the U.S. blockade on Iran begins and extend into areas of the Gulf, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Sunday in an interview with state television.

According to him, "Any ship that enters the new zone will be added to the sanctions list. In addition, maps detailing passage routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy passage largely closed to tanker traffic, will soon be approved. The maps for a new international corridor, located in Iranian and Omani waters and to be managed by Iran, have been finalized and are expected to be signed in the coming days. We will commit to opening the Strait of Hormuz only when the Americans stop their sabotage, threats, and attacks on Iran."