Iran, Bessent: EU joins US in applying economic pressure. South Korea considers sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz

The US Vice-President, JD Vance, has stated that he has been briefed on the attack reported on Tuesday during a wedding, which, according to Iranian state media, left five people dead and dozens injured. Vance said: “We are investigating this very thoroughly.” He clarified, however, that the United States never targets civilians in combat, and that “these things happen”. “We are investigating because, obviously, we care about this; we want to know,” he added, “when our armed forces make mistakes, they learn from them to try to improve.”

The US President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of a new ‘acting’ Secretary of the Army, shortly after the resignation of Dan Driscoll, the branch’s highest-ranking civilian official, following serious disagreements with the Pentagon’s leadership, in particular with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“I am pleased to announce that Adam Telle, the current Under-Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will take up the post of Acting Secretary of the Army with immediate effect,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “He is a great patriot, held in high regard by everyone,” he added. Telle was sworn in as Under-Secretary in August 2025, following his confirmation by the US Senate; he has spent much of his career working as a staff member on Capitol Hill.

The European Union “has officially joined” the United States’ economic pressure campaign against Iran, the so-called ‘Operation Economic Outcast’, “and we appreciate their firm and timely stance”. This is what US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in a post on X. The United States “stands firmly alongside its allies to ensure that the bloodthirsty Iranian regime cannot exploit the global financial system to fund its nuclear ambitions, weapons programmes and proxy terrorist groups. ‘The world is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime: we will not stop until every remaining financial lifeline has been severed,’ the post continues. The post also includes a link to the EU statement of 30 August, issued on the occasion of the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting which Bessent had just hosted in Asheville, North Carolina. Brussels “remains ready to take further measures, where necessary”, against Iran “to safeguard its security and interests, including freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”, the statement had reported, noting that it considered “continued diplomatic efforts necessary to achieve a peaceful solution, restore regional stability and ensure full freedom of navigation and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz”. The EU, noting that it had already imposed “extensive sanctions” on Iran to prevent it from exploiting the global economy and financial system for hostile actions, went on to say that it would “work closely with the US and other partners in the G7 and the international community to maintain pressure onIran and contribute to de-escalation and regional stability”, welcoming “efforts aimed at ensuring that Iran ceases its destabilising activities and engages in peace negotiations in good faith, including through further economic pressure, such as the US-led Operation Economic Outcast”.

No final decision has yet been taken on the deployment of military forces to the Strait of Hormuz. This was announced today by the South Korean presidential office, as reported by the Yonhap news agency, which stated that the matter is still under consideration.

Seoul could make a military contribution to global efforts to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait, provided that such a contribution does not compromise its defence readiness, should it decide to do so, a presidential official said.