The spokesperson of Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement in Korean on the social media platform X
The Korean-language post to X uploaded by Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (via X)
The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement in Korean declaring that the deployment of any military personnel to the Strait of Hormuz will “lead to serious consequences.” This appears to be an official warning from Iran as the Korean government considers deploying its military to the strait. “The Iranian people are defending themselves from US aggression and responding sternly against American war crimes against women and children,” Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in a post on the social media platform X on Monday. “If any other party either participates in operations or has an active military presence in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, we have no choice but to interpret that as direct support for the aggressor, which will lead to serious consequences.” The post was written entirely in Korean. “No country with sovereignty or responsibility should succumb to US pressure and become accomplices in the US’ aggressions and horrific acts of crimes against the great people of Iran,” he added. “Iran and Korea’s relationship spans over 64 years, and bilateral relations have developed under mutual respect. Iran thinks very highly of its friendly relations with Korea.” It is unusual for an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson to issue a statement in Korean. However, Baqaei has frequently written posts in the language of the country he hopes will heed his message. Baqaei posted this message with a picture that had the phrase, “Risky choices come with consequences,” written in Korean. The picture depicts a military vessel sailing through a strait. This is a direct response to the Korean government’s consideration of military “contributions” to efforts in the strait amid US pressure to deploy troops. Chris Wright, the US secretary of energy, pressured US allies during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, saying that he hopes military assets outside of the region enter the Strait of Hormuz “soon.”Meanwhile, a Lebanese media outlet quoted a senior Iranian political and security official on Friday as cautioning Korea not to “respond to American pressures” to participate in illegal operations by the US military. “Any involvement in US military operations is direct participation in the military war on Iran,” the official warned.By Cheon Ho-sung, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
