Trump Links South Korea Drill Cuts to Iran Policy Dispute

On August 16, 2026, Trump said the US will sharply cut joint military drills with South Korea, calling them "costly" and "hostile." He tied the decision to Seoul's refusal to join US-led denuclearization of Iran — connecting a Peninsula-specific military matter to an unrelated policy fight, a conditionality absent from 2018–2019 drill reductions.