South Korea begins probe into ship fire in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran dispute

South Korea's Oceans Ministry said on Friday that ​government investigators had started examining the cause of ​an explosion and fire aboard ‌a Korean-operated ​vessel amid uncertainty over whether it had been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. * The ship's operator HMM said investigators dispatched from South ‌Korea boarded the vessel at around 0600 GMT after it had been towed to a port in Dubai.

* The spokesperson said it was to early to estimate when the probe would conclude. * HMM earlier ‌confirmed the ship, HMM Namu, completed berthing in Dubai by 2300 GMT on Thursday.

* The ship ‌suffered an explosion and fire in the engine-room area on Monday while anchored near the United Arab Emirates, according to the company and Seoul officials. * All 24 crew members, including six South Koreans, were unharmed.

* U.S. President Donald Trump ⁠said Iran ​had fired at the South ⁠Korean vessel, and urged South Korea to join U.S.-led efforts to secure shipping through the strait. * South Korea's presidential ⁠office said on Wednesday it had suspended a review of whether to join the U.S. escort operation, dubbed "Project Freedom", ​after Trump put the plan on hold.

* Iran's embassy in South Korea denied responsibility, saying it "firmly ⁠rejects and categorically denies" allegations that Iranian armed forces were involved in damage to the vessel. * Iran's state-run Press ⁠TV ​later carried commentary suggesting a South Korean vessel had been targeted, but the Iranian embassy said the article was outside commentary and did not represent Tehran's official position.

* South Korea has said ⁠it is keeping all possibilities open, including whether the damage was caused by an external attack or an ⁠internal malfunction, while prioritising ⁠fact-finding before deciding any response. * The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, making the incident sensitive ‌for South ‌Korea, which depends heavily on imported energy.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)