The US is relocating parts of a missile defence system installed in South Korea to the Middle East, according to officials cited by the Washington Post and South Korean media.

The reported move comes almost two weeks into the US-Israeli war against Iran and follows reports suggesting Iran has destroyed a key radar used by the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system in Jordan according to the BBC.

THAAD was first deployed to South Korea in 2017 to guard against threats made by Pyongyang to the north. At the time installing THAAD on the peninsula sparked protests among South Koreans who feared the system would make the country a larger target, while China also warned it could destabilise the region.

Earlier this week the Washington Post followed on from reports last week that at least parts of the THAAD system protecting Korea were being transferred to the Middle East. The reports come as Washington and Jerusalem continue to strike Iran while Tehran responds with waves of drones and ballistic missiles aimed at Israeli and US military bases across the wider Middle East.

One factor behind the move is that the precise size of Iran’s missile arsenal remains unclear although some sources mentioned 3000 missiles when hostilities broke out. To date, more than 500 ballistic missiles have been launched by Iran according to a tally done by the New York Times. Although the majority of these have been intercepted, analysts now say the scale of the attacks may be placing pressure on US missile defence inventories.

If so, and should Iran be preparing for a prolonged war of attrition that could draw in more countries in the Middle East, including current US allies, Washington will need to redeploy missile defence capabilities from elsewhere; THAAD being designed to intercept high-altitude missiles making it the obvious option in this regard.

A system manufactured by Lockheed Martin, THAAD includes six mounted launchers, each carrying eight interceptors, as well as a radar system for detection to intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles using hit-to-kill technology, in which kinetic energy destroys the incoming warhead.

Operating at what is termed very high altitude, it is also a capability seen as particularly valuable to South Korea as it allows for the interception of a potential nuclear warhead coming over the border from North Korea. THAAD systems do not come cheap though with each battery costing roughly $1bn and needing a unit of around 100 trained personnel to operate it, the BBC adds.

As of early 2026, the US runs eight such systems globally. Two are currently deployed in the Middle East – believed to be in Jordan and Israel - while the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia together operate three more.

Yet while the possible redeployment from South Korea has been described by a US official cited by the Washington Post as just a precautionary measure, it has already been interpreted as evidence of a missile defence network already under strain.

South Korean media outlets including SBS and the Yonhap News Agency have already reported that THAAD launchers are already being transported from the Seongju airbase south of Seoul – a move that has reportedly led to President Lee Jae-myung acknowledging that Seoul had expressed opposition to the withdrawal of US weapons.

Roughly 900 miles south of Seoul meanwhile, Taiwan, while not currently operating any THAAD systems, is watching and waiting as the US demonstrates just how easily it will remove defences from Asian ‘allies’ under daily threat, to help in the war against Iran.

There are several reasons Taipei does not deploy THAAD systems with the lead cause being political sensitivity. Given the Chinese economic retaliation against Seoul when THAAD was deployed that lasted for over six years, the act of deploying THAAD in Taiwan would likely provoke a far stronger response at a time the self-governing island nation is already being circumnavigated on a daily basis by Chinese aircraft and warships.

Added to this is Taiwanese defence policy in which defence of the island focuses on a layered missile defence using Patriot and domestic systems rather than a large high-altitude interceptor like THAAD – and being as small as it is, Taiwan is easily covered by means of the Pattriot + Sky Bow combination.

As such, a crucial factor now will be just how Beijing interprets the THAAD removal from South Korea, and whether or not it proves temporary or permanent.

Intentional or not, Iran’s actions against US and Israeli forces in the Middle East may in time have a domino effect on the balance of power in the Far East.