U.S. cancels South Korea marine drills over tied up forces in Iran war

The United States cancelled a joint amphibious landing drill scheduled for next month with South Korea, Seoul’s Marine Corps said on Monday, after Washington cited constraints on the availability of U.S. forces due to the war in Iran.

SEOUL, South Korea — The United States canceled a joint amphibious landing drill scheduled for next month with South Korea, Seoul’s Marine Corps said Monday, after Washington cited constraints on the availability of U.S. forces due to the war in Iran.

The U.S. Marine Corps formally notified its South Korean counterpart in June that force availability would be constrained for the division-level exercise, known as Ssangyong, a South Korean Marine Corps spokesperson told a news briefing.

The allies remain in close consultations on resuming the drills, the spokesperson said. He did not specify what measures might be taken to prevent future cancellations or to make up for lost training opportunities.

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U.S. Forces Korea did not immediately respond to a request for comment.