South Korea sends forces in Persian Gulf after Iran seizes tanker

South Korea has dispatched an acclaimed anti-piracy unit in waters near the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized South Korean tanker in the Persian Gulf on Monday.

As per the statement issued by Iran Revolutionary Guards, they had taken control of the South Korean tanker, Hankuk Chemi, and its 20-member crew because it was “polluting the Persian Gulf with chemicals”

The tanker is being held at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port city.

The Cheonghae Unit, which includes South Korean special forces, arrived in the strait on Tuesday aboard the 5,000-ton destroyer Choi Yong, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.

The unit was established in 2009 as South Korea's first overseas anti-piracy force.

Officials stressed there were no plans to conduct a military operation to free the crew of five South Koreans, 11 Myanmarese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese.

“[The destroyer] is carrying out missions to ensure the safety of our nationals,” foreign ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said on Tuesday.

An unnamed official told Yonhap: “The issue should be resolved through diplomacy. The unit is focused on the safety of our people who use the waterway after the seizure.”

Tensions in Persian Gulf have increased in the past week, near the one-year death anniversary of Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in the US strike.

The US has flown B-52 bombers over the region, and on Sunday US President Donald Trump ordered an aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, that was due to rotate home, to remain there.