Iran’s embassy in South Korea said on Thursday that it “firmly rejects” any claims regarding the involvement of the Iranian armed forces in the damage to a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
The embassy however said that since the start of the war with the United States and Israel, Tehran has “repeatedly emphasized” that the strategic waterway “is an inseparable part of its defensive geography in confronting aggressors and their supporters.”
As such, navigation conditions in the strait have been “affected by the evolving security situation.”
Earlier this week, an explosion and fire occurred on a South Korean-linked vessel at the Strait the Hormuz, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
The Panama-flagged ship was carrying 24 crew members, including six South Koreans, and docked by the strait near the United Arab Emirates before the explosion occurred. No casualties have been reported, the ministry said at the time.
US President Donald Trump had claimed that Iran had “taken some shots” at the vessel.
South Korea had been evaluating whether to join US efforts to guide merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s foreign ministry previously said, but the short-lived American project has since been paused.
