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

* 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.

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.