(3rd LD) Trump says Iran fired at S. Korean vessel, urges Seoul to join Strait of Hormuz mission

Trump’s comment came after Seoul’s foreign ministry said that an explosion occurred on a Panama-flagged ship operated by HMM Co., a major South Korean shipping firm, in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the cause of the explosion is under investigation.

The ship was anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates within the strait. It was carrying 24 crew members on board — six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals. No casualties were reported.

Amid Iran’s pushback in the waterway, Trump warned in a phone interview with Fox News that Iranian forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” should they attempt to target U.S. vessels in the strait. But he still struck a positive note for peace talks with Iran, claiming Iranian negotiators were “far more malleable.”

Trump’s renewed call for South Korea to join the mission in the strait added pressure on the Asian country that relies heavily on the waterway for its energy imports. The strait is responsible for about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Last month, the U.S. president pointed out that South Korea was “not helpful” to the U.S. despite America having stationed its troops “in harm’s way” in the Asian country, which he stressed is located “right next to” North Korea’s nuclear forces.

Trump has taken steps against European countries that have shown a lack of support for the Iran war or have not acceded to his calls for naval assistance to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

The Pentagon has announced a plan to withdraw around 5,000 troops from Germany, while Trump said last week that he would raise tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25 percent from 15 percent.

The explosion on the Korea-linked vessel came as the U.S. kicked off the new operation to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked in the midst of the Middle East war.

During a phone news conference, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said that the U.S. military has destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as the operation, Project Freedom, got under way, according to Reuters.

The rise in tensions darkened the prospects for what appears to be a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.

For the new operation, CENTCOM has said that the U.S. would deploy guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

Under Project Freedom, the U.S. Navy helps commercial ships transit the Strait of Hormuz by advising them on how to avoid mines and being on standby to intervene if Iran launches an attack on them, Axios reported. The U.S. has no current plan for full naval escorts, it added, citing U.S. officials.

CENTCOM wrote on social media earlier in the day that two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the strait and are safely headed on their journey.

“U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom,” CENTCOM wrote on X.