Iran Denies Involvement in Damage to Korean Vessel in Strait of Hormuz

Representation photo: In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 2, 2026, the Iran-flagged container vessel Hamouna is pictured while anchored as a small motorboat passes by, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /
Representation photo: In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 2, 2026, the Iran-flagged container vessel Hamouna is pictured while anchored as a small motorboat passes by, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /
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Iran Denies Involvement in Damage to Korean Vessel in Strait of Hormuz

Representation photo: In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 2, 2026, the Iran-flagged container vessel Hamouna is pictured while anchored as a small motorboat passes by, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /
Representation photo: In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 2, 2026, the Iran-flagged container vessel Hamouna is pictured while anchored as a small motorboat passes by, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /

Iran denied any involvement by its armed forces in damage to a South Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, its ‌embassy in Seoul ‌said on ‌Thursday ⁠in a statement, adding ⁠that safe passage through the waterway requires strict adherence to Iranian regulations.

On ⁠Monday, a Panama-flagged ‌ship ‌operated by South ‌Korea's HMM suffered an ‌explosion and caught fire, with US President Donald Trump blaming ‌the incident on an Iranian attack, ⁠while South ⁠Korea's Foreign Ministry said the cause of the fire would only be confirmed after the vessel was towed back to port and inspected, Reuters said.