The HMM Namu’s launching ceremony in Guangzhou, China, in September 2025. The ship reported an explosion and fire on May 4, 2026, as it was anchored in the Strait of Hormuz. (via Korean Register)
After Iranian state-run media reported that a Korean ship rocked by an explosion near the Strait of Hormuz had been targeted for violating regulations, the Iranian Embassy to Korea dismissed the report as being “analytical commentary.”The Iranian Embassy maintains that the fire aboard the HMM Namu had nothing to do with the Iranian military, a position that conflicts with the report in Iranian state-run media.The Iranian Embassy said in a statement on Thursday that “the article published by Press TV was an analytical commentary written by an external analysis desk and does not constitute an official statement or confirmed operational account issued by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran or the Iranian Embassy in Seoul.”The embassy said that, to date, it had not received any official information verifying Iran’s involvement in the incident on the Korean ship.Press TV, Iran’s English-language state media outlet, reported on May 6 that “the targeting of a South Korean vessel that violated the new maritime rules defined by the Islamic Republic served as an unambiguous signal,” suggesting that Iran had attacked the ship.But that contradicts the embassy’s statement issued on the same day. “The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the incident involving damage to a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said.In the statement, the Iranian Embassy said that no media commentary or analysis should be assumed to represent its official position, which remains unchanged, and urged caution in regard to unverified claims or speculative reports until the results of the official investigation have been announced given the current volatility in the region.The HMM Namu was scheduled to be towed to the port of Dubai on Thursday evening after it caught fire following an explosion on May 4 while it was anchored in the Strait of Hormuz.The Korean government maintains that the incident needs to be fully investigated without assuming that the explosion on the ship was the result of an attack.By Jang Ye-ji, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
