South Korea Aligns With U.S.-Led Push to Secure Strait of Hormuz
As President Donald Trump pressures allies to back a multinational maritime effort to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Japan and other allied governments are maneuvering cautiously in advance of a planned U.S.-Japan summit in Washington.
Prime Minister Sanae Takai is expected to firm up Tokyo’s stance ahead of the talks, and Tokyo plans to coordinate with Korea, the United Kingdom, France and other partners on how to respond. The discussions come as the administration seeks a clearer path for a broader, multinational approach to secure sea lanes in the vital chokepoint.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, signaling U.S. support for a multilateral maritime task force aimed at ensuring safe navigation through Hormuz. The U.S. official stressed that the proposed activities would be separate from any military operations related to Iran and that concrete arrangements, including whether to deploy personnel or ships, would be reviewed over the coming days and weeks. Officials emphasized that mandating immediate deployments was not the goal.
President Trump has described the issue as a test of allied willingness to shoulder a greater share of security burdens. He cited oil dependence data for several countries—Japan, China, Europe and Korea—to illustrate why allied cooperation matters. He also highlighted U.S. troop levels in Japan, Korea and Germany, arguing that allies should be more proactive in supporting security efforts.
Responses from key U.S. allies have been largely cautious. German leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, said any Iranian involvement should not be decided unilaterally and that Germany does not plan to contribute militarily in this context. Britain’s leadership likewise avoided committing to a broader engagement, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak or his predecessor emphasizing caution about escalation. French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that protection of Hormuz would be a priority only after the most intense phases of any conflict had ended, reflecting a careful approach to direct armed involvement.
Japan faces its own legal hurdles. Ahead of the Washington talks, Tokyo has acknowledged that current law makes immediate Self-Defense Force deployments to active combat zones unlikely. The government has indicated that options under consideration include mine clearance, protecting relevant vessels, expanding information gathering, and closer cooperation with other nations, while keeping a multinational coalition as one possible path.
The developments matter beyond Korea because Hormuz remains a critical artery for global energy markets. Any shift in who bears responsibility for protecting sea lanes can influence oil prices, inflation, and supply chains worldwide. For the United States, the episode tests alliance credibility and burden-sharing at a time of ongoing strategic competition with Iran and broader strategic competition with other powers, with potential implications for security commitments in both the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.