South Korea sending anti-piracy task force to deal with Iranian seizure of ship

 Newsweek:

South Korea is sending military forces to respond to the seizure of one of its tankers by Iran, an endeavor in which it is seeking to work with other nations operating in the region.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard announced Monday that its Zulfiqar fleet had seized a South Korean vessel operating in the Islamic Republic's First Naval District in the Persian Gulf "due to a series of violations of marine environmental laws" after it departed from Saudi Arabia's Al-Jubail port.

The ship, Hankuk Chemi, was said to be transporting up to 7,200 tons of oil-based chemicals, and carrying a crew of South Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Myanmar nationals. Both ship and crew are being held at Iran's Bandar Abbas port, where the Revolutionary Guard said "the issue is to be dealt with by the judicial officials."

In response to the incident, a South Korean Defense Ministry official told Newsweek the country, officially known as the Republic of Korea (ROK), had "sent anti-piracy troops near the Strait of Hormuz for the ROK oil tanker directly."
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U.S. Central Command's Navy 5th Fleet did not immediately respond to Newsweek's for comment.

The U.S. and South Korea are military allies and, while their mutual defense was established to ward off attacks from rival North Korea, it obliges each to come to the other's aid in the event of any "external armed attack."
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The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier was set to depart the region but was abruptly ordered to remain due to "the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials," according to a statement issued Sunday by Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller. "No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America," he added.
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Iran has a history of piracy in the Persian Gulf.  It is not surprising it would strike out at a US ally and not risk a direct attack on US assets while Trump is still in office.  Trump has made it clear that if the mullahs kill one American there will be retribution.