South Korean Merchant Ship Attacked in Strait of Hormuz

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHERAN – A South Korean ship was attacked while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Monday local time. A fire broke out following the attack. Al Jazeera reported that a spokesperson for the South Korean shipping company HMM stated that the fire was reported in the bulk carrier’s engine room and the cause is being investigated. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported an explosion and fire on the ship, which had 24 crew members on board at the time. Among the crew were 18 foreign nationals and six South Korean nationals. The attack follows rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz today as the United States announced operations to escort ships crossing the strait. Iran stated that the entry of US ships into the Strait of Hormuz is a violation of the ceasefire and will be firmly addressed. Iran’s military stated that after monitoring the US Navy destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz area, warnings were issued and warning shots were fired, stating that “the consequences of such risky actions will befall the American-Zionist enemy”. According to the army public relations office, the US destroyer “turned off their radar” in the Sea of Oman and attempted to approach the Strait of Hormuz. “As soon as they reactivated their radar, they were detected and received a radio warning from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s navy about the danger of violating the ceasefire,” it said. The US destroyer ignored the warning, the office said. “At this stage… the Iranian navy issued further warnings by firing cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drone warning shots near the enemy ship,” reported the IRIB news agency.