The government said on the 10th that a fire aboard a Korean ship near the Strait of Hormuz, close to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), stemmed from strikes by two unidentified flying objects.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the findings of a government joint investigation that day, saying, "Two unidentified flying objects struck the portside aft ballast tank outer shell of the HMM Namu about one minute apart."
Park Il, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "At about 3:30 p.m. local time on May 4, there was a strike," and added, "It was confirmed that flames and smoke accompanied by vibration occurred following the impact from the strike."
They continued, "The portside aft outer shell was damaged to a width of about 5 meters and to a depth of about 7 meters into the hull," adding, "Frames inside the hull were bent inward, and the hull outer shell protruded outward and was bent."
Regarding who carried out the attack, they said, "There are constraints on confirming the exact model and physical size," adding, "We plan to conduct additional analysis of debris collected at the site."
If it is confirmed that Iran carried out the strike on the Namu, significant diplomatic and security fallout is expected. Shortly after the Namu fire, U.S. President Donald Trump said, "There was firing by Iran," but the Korean government maintained a cautious stance, saying, "The investigation is still underway."