{"id":47902,"date":"2026-03-13T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=47902"},"modified":"2026-03-19T20:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:27:08","slug":"us-withdraws-thaad-patriot-south-korea-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/us-withdraws-thaad-patriot-south-korea-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"US Withdraws THAAD, Patriot Systems from South Korea Amid Iran Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style='background:#f7fafc;padding:15px;'>\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. forces are withdrawing THAAD and Patriot missile defense systems from South Korea.<\/li>\n<li>The redeployment is reportedly intended to counter threats from Iran.<\/li>\n<li>Iran claims to have struck U.S. and Israeli radar systems in retaliation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>SEOUL (Azat TV) \u2013<\/b> The United States has initiated the withdrawal of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot missile defense systems from South Korea, a move reportedly aimed at reinforcing U.S. positions against Iran amid escalating regional tensions. A THAAD launch vehicle was observed at a U.S. military base in Seongju, located in the southeastern North Gyeongsang province, according to reports from Yonhap News Agency.<\/p>\n<h2>US Army Confirms Patriot System Redeployment<\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. Army officially confirmed the withdrawal of Patriot missile systems from South Korean territory, stating their intended deployment for operations against Iran. This decision comes as the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East intensifies, with Iran having reportedly conducted retaliatory strikes against U.S. and Israeli assets.<\/p>\n<h2>Iran Claims Strikes on Advanced Radar Systems<\/h2>\n<p>Mehr News Agency reported that the Iranian military has claimed to have neutralized at least four advanced THAAD radar systems in retaliation for what it described as strikes against the U.S. and Israel. The extent and impact of these alleged Iranian actions are yet to be independently verified, but they underscore the heightened state of conflict.<\/p>\n<h2>South Korean Concerns Over Defense Posture<\/h2>\n<p>South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed concerns regarding the transfer of air defense assets. &#8220;While we oppose the transfer of some air defense systems by US forces stationed in South Korea, the harsh reality is that we cannot fully assert our position,&#8221; Lee stated, highlighting a perceived lack of full consultation or control over the deployment of U.S. military assets on South Korean soil. This situation raises questions about regional security arrangements and the autonomy of South Korea&#8217;s defense planning.<\/p>\n<p><em>The withdrawal of sophisticated U.S. air defense systems from South Korea, a key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, signals a significant shift in military priorities, redirecting critical assets to address immediate threats in the Middle East rather than maintaining existing regional deterrence postures.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. has begun withdrawing THAAD and Patriot missile defense systems from South Korea, reportedly to bolster defenses against Iran. The move follows retaliatory strikes by Iran against U.S. and Israeli targets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1547,3232,51825,270,50599,6552],"class_list":["post-47902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-military","tag-geopolitics","tag-middle-east","tag-patriot-missile-system","tag-south-korea","tag-thaad","tag-us-military"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/us-military-systems.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/us-military-systems.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47902\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}