Thailand: Thailand on Monday urged people to work from home, while South Korea moved to secure alternative energy routes via the Red Sea as supplies come under strain. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called for measures including remote work, reduced private car use, and greater reliance on public transportation, carpooling, and energy conservation, according to a statement on his account on US social media company Facebook. He added that additional measures could be introduced in the near term if needed.

According to Anadolu Agency, South Korea will partially route crude oil shipments through the Red Sea as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, the government said, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. Under the plan, crude oil will be transported via pipeline from eastern Saudi Arabia to the western port of Yanbu for tanker export. Despite Yanbu's capacity of around 5 million barrels per day, Seoul views the route as a critical energy lifeline.

"In a situation where alternative import routes are limited, we cannot completely block shipments due to risk," President Lee Jae Myung said during a Cabinet meeting. "We must accept a certain level of risk to ensure the nation's energy supply." A senior Foreign Ministry official said Seoul is "communicating multifacetedly with relevant countries, including Iran, regarding ship safety."

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, while also restricting ship movements through the Strait of Hormuz.