Iran says it ‘firmly rejects and categorically denies’ allegations that it was responsible for the explosion on board the HMM Namu
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenThe Korea TimesPublished: 3:18pm, 7 May 2026South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday rebutted US President Donald Trump’s assertion that a South Korean-operated vessel was attacked as it was acting on its own without US protection in the Strait of Hormuz – a focal point of the ongoing Iran war.“For several days before the fire broke out, the ship had been anchored in the relevant waters near the United Arab Emirates on the inner side of the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry said in a statement.The remarks followed an explosion of unidentified cause that triggered a fire aboard the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier operated by South Korean shipping company HMM on Monday.
“Their ship was shot at. They were not in the cavalcade of ships they had. They decided to go it alone, and their ship got the hell knocked out of it yesterday,” Trump said, noting that Iran, on the other hand, “didn’t shoot the ships that were guarded by us”.
