South Korea, Iran discuss Hormuz after Tehran warning

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the Strait of Hormuz by phone on September 11, Seoul's foreign ministry said, days after South Korea said it was weighing a possible contribution to security in the waterway.

The ministry said the call took place at Tehran's request and also covered the recent situation in the Middle East.

The discussion followed a warning from Tehran earlier in the week that any South Korean military contribution to the conflict would have “serious consequences”. South Korea has sent a fact-finding team to assess conditions in the strait and has repeatedly said it has not decided whether to deploy its military to Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed South Korea to provide help for the war in the Middle East. He has said Seoul rejected his request for assistance in securing the waterway, which is important to global oil supplies.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been virtually paralysed since the US-Iran war began on February 28, disrupting global energy markets. Negotiations between Iran and the United States have stalled as they vie for control over Hormuz, which normally carries around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports.