Iran has publicly threatened South Korea if it joins the US mission in the Strait of Hormuz, which is bad news for Seoul and for the US-Korea deals now frozen by the conflict.

• Iran posted a message in Korean warning that any country taking part in Persian Gulf or Hormuz operations will face "serious consequences."
• Trump is pressing South Korea to send military support, a move that would be deeply unpopular with Korean voters.
• Korean commenters are near-unanimous against it, asking why their soldiers should die cleaning up someone else's war.
• Several US-Korea projects and deals are on hold while the fighting drags on, and ordinary Koreans are paying more for everyday goods.
• Back home, Trump's noticeably darker hair took over the US news cycle, alongside his claims of making hundreds of billions for the country on AI stocks.

Outlook: Seoul looks set to stall rather than commit troops, keeping US-Korea deals frozen while the Iran conflict continues.