South Korea claims US canceled joint naval exercises due to war with Iran

The United States canceled a major joint amphibious landing exercise with South Korea scheduled for next month due to reduced troop availability caused by the war with Iran, Seoul reported on Monday.

"The U.S. Marine Corps formally notified our forces in June that its ability to deploy troops during this year's Ssangyong exercise would be limited due to the situation in the Middle East," said Han Seung-jeon, a spokesperson for the South Korean Marine Corps, during a press conference cited by AFP.

The biennial Ssangyong exercises, involving South Korean and U.S. Marine Corps forces, were designed to strengthen joint operations; and typically involve warships, aircraft, and ground troops practicing joint amphibious landings.

The cancellation follows President Donald Trump's order last week to scale back the scope of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises—which are separate from the aforementioned exercises—by shortening their duration from eleven to five days.

When the cancellation was announced, Trump cited the high cost of these maneuvers and stated that they sent an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, adding that it was important to "get along" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and noted that Pyongyang already possessed 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.

Seoul estimates that North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 such weapons.

Seoul and Washington are continuing consultations on resuming the joint exercise, Seung-jeon said, without providing further details.

The Pentagon has not commented on Seoul's announcement.