OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C.
Trump orders a cut in U.S.-South Korea drills, citing Iran
- Mountain Time
- Local time
- 5:39 PM in New York
- Where
- Washington, D.C.
Trump wrote that he had ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to 'substantially reduce' the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea, calling them costly and hostile toward North Korea, and added that South Korea had said 'No thanks!' when he asked it to join 'the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' He called the two issues 'somewhat unrelated.'
Why it matters
The drills are a core part of the U.S.-South Korea alliance; Japan said the next day that security cooperation with Washington and Seoul was 'critical' for regional stability.
Sources (5)
- Associated Pressapnews.com
- Reutersreuters.comPublished
- CNNcnn.comPublished
- CBS Newscbsnews.comPublished
- CBS News (2)cbsnews.comPublished
Confidence: Stated by a named government, military, or institution. Not independently confirmed. About confidence labels
Correction
- Revised the summary; revised the context note; reclassified it from diplomacy to political; updated the sourcing note; added 3 sources: CNN, CBS News; removed an unverified publication date from Associated Press (2026-08-16). Why and evidence