South Korea is reviewing practical options, including military measures, for supporting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and claims that Seoul had provided no assistance on the issue were “not true”, a presidential Blue House official has said.
Reuters quoted the official as saying that South Korea-US security talks were “not currently progressing” and semiconductors were among the issues under discussion between the allies.
Oil prices increased on Friday and are on track for their steepest weekly gain since mid-July, with Brent crude futures gaining 15 cents, or 0.2 percent, to reach $95.67 a barrel as of 01:00 GMT.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude went up 26 cents, or 0.3 percent, to trade at $91.56.
The gains come as rising tensions and renewed US-Iran hostilities heighten concerns over Middle East supply risks, according to the Reuters news agency.
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The South Korean military is making "concrete preparations" to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report Thursday.
ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή"We are making concrete preparations to dispatch naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz," a National Defense Ministry official told Australia's broadcaster SBS.
The report said the deployment, which is underway, includes P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal team and a logistics support ship.
The South Korean government previously expressed that it would pursue a deployment to the strait only after the US-Iran war ends.