Home Middle East live Published on: 04/09/2026 – 04:56 Modified: 04/09/2026 – 05:13 (ARCHIVE) Ships transit the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, on August 10, 2026. © Atta Kenare, AFP South Korea is considering sending military assets to the Strait of Hormuz to support freedom of navigation, media reported Thursday. Seoul denied having decided on a deployment. Iran launched strikes against US military targets in the Gulf, in retaliation for an attack that killed four people at a wedding on Tuesday night. Follow our live blog for the latest updates. 04/09/2026 – 05:13 South Korea says it could contribute to US security efforts in Hormuz South Korea said on Friday that Seoul could contribute to US security efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, as long as its own military readiness is not compromised. “Contributions to the Strait of Hormuz could be managed within limits that do not compromise military readiness,” a presidential official said, adding that a review was still underway. 04/09/2026 – 05:01Trump names Adam Telle acting secretary of the Army amid tensions with Hegseth President Donald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle, civilian leader of the US Army Corps of Engineers, acting secretary of the Army following the departure of Dan Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Telle is currently the undersecretary of the Army for civil works. But he spent more than 20 years working for Republican senators as well as in the White House during Trump’s first term, serving as the president’s primary liaison to the Senate, according to an Army biography. “He is a great patriot, respected by everyone,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Hegseth echoed that in his own post on X. “Big congratulations to Adam. Strong and smart,” Hegseth wrote. “He is truly a great patriot and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy.” 04/09/2026 – 04:59 Oil prices on track for biggest weekly gain since July on US-Iran tensions Oil prices rose on Friday and are on track for the steepest weekly gain since mid-July, as rising tensions and renewed hostilities between the US and Iran raised concerns about supply risks in the Middle East. Intermediate crude oil futures rose 26 cents, or 0.3%, to $91.56. On a weekly basis, Brent rose 7.1% and WTI rose 9.8%, marking the biggest gains since the week ending July 20. 04/09/2026 – 04:58 South Korea says claims that Seoul has not provided support in Hormuz ‘are not true’ South Korea is reviewing practical options, including military measures, to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and claims that Seoul had not provided assistance in the issue were “not true,” a Blue House presidential official said on Friday. The official said security talks between South Korea and the United States were “not currently progressing” and that semiconductors were among the topics under discussion between the allies. 04/09/2026 – 04:55South Korea evaluates military deployment in the Strait of Hormuz South Korea is preparing to deploy military assets to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and aims to send them before the end of the year, media reported Thursday night, citing government and military sources. Reports in several South Korean media outlets said the government was preparing procedures to seek parliamentary approval for the deployment, including submitting a consent motion to parliament this month after the cabinet review. It was considering options including sending a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support ship or a mine detection and clearance unit, and had been discussing the scale and nature of a possible contribution with countries including the United States, Britain and France, according to reports. 04/09/2026 – 04:55 Welcome to France 24’s live blog covering events in the Middle East. You can catch up on yesterday’s events here. • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence that the Islamic republic of Iran could soon fall, saying it was “weaker than ever.” • US Vice President JD Vance has said he would not classify the Iran war as a war, despite continued clashes with Tehran six months after the conflict began. • Iran’s military said it had attacked US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further attacks by US President Donald Trump. (FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)