US Edition
Thaad: The US may move its anti-missile system out of South Korea - and it's sparking unease
The relocation follows reports that Iran destroyed a key THAAD radar in Jordan and reflects concerns over missile defense demands amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
- Earlier this week, US officials said parts of the THAAD system were being moved from South Korea to the Middle East, with South Korean media reporting launchers leaving Seongju airbase.
- Earlier this month, reports said an Iranian strike destroyed a $300m THAAD radar in Jordan, and the reported move comes 12 days into the US-Israeli war against Iran amid continuing strikes.
- The US operates eight THAAD systems, each costing roughly $1bn, with two in Jordan and Israel and three owned by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as a 'precautionary measure'.
- US officials called the relocation a 'precautionary measure', but analysts warned the limited THAAD pool could be stretched thin, while South Korean protesters and China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated opposition.
- Observers warn Iran's actions could have a domino effect on the wider Indo-Pacific balance, as analysts say a prolonged conflict may force redeployments that deplete US missile-defence assets, with over 500 missiles launched so far.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Parts of the THAAD system are deployed in the Middle East. Seoul is not very pleased and fears North Korea's provocations, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok rushes to Washington
Video - Images broadcast on South Korean television show American missile defence material being exfiled from the Seongju base in South Korea. This redeployment is a direct consequence of the conflict between the United States and Iran.
US Shifts Anti-Missile System To Middle East. South Korea Isn't Happy
The US is relocating parts of the terminal high-altitude area defence (THAAD) missile-defence system along with other military hardware out of South Korea to the Middle East for its war against Iran.
The interceptors of the system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense would already have been transferred from the base located in the county of Seongju County to Osan Air Base, one of the main U.S. military installations in South Korea. This displacement could represent a preliminary phase before their dispatch in the Middle East
As the US shifts THAAD assets from South Korea, Taiwan watches and waits
The possible redeployment from South Korea has been described by a US official as just a precautionary measure, but has already been interpreted as evidence of a missile defence network already under strain.
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