South Korea sends team to assess situation in Strait of Hormuz

Sept 8 (Reuters) - South Korea has sent an inspection team to assess the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz but no decision has been taken on sending troops, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The announcement follows a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump in August to scale back U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises, in part because South Korea had declined to help Washington in the U.S.-Iran war.

The South Korean team departed for the United Arab Emirates over the weekend and is expected to return as early as this week, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the defence ministry.

The presidential office said on Friday that Seoul was reviewing its options, including military measures, to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit route for global oil supplies. It denied media reports that the government had already decided on a deployment.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on X this week that any South Korean military presence or participation in operations in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz would be considered support for U.S. "aggression" and would have serious consequences.

(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Barcelona; Editing by Andrew Heavens andf Timothy Heritage)