Iran ceasefire, control over Strait of Hormuz tested as U.S. guides ships through Iranian fire

A South Korean cargo ship that President Trump said was hit by an Iranian attack Monday in the Strait of Hormuz was waiting to be towed into Dubai’s port Tuesday after being disabled by the strike, according to South Korea’s state-owned Yonhap news agency.

The ship’s operator, Seoul-based logistics company HMM, confirmed a fire on board the NAMU had knocked out the vessel’s primary power supply Monday, leaving the ship unable to move on its own power.  

Yonhap said six South Korean sailors were planning to return home, while 24 others of various nationalities were to remain on board, where a backup generator was keeping the lights on, and HMM said there were adequate food and water supplies.

“The conditions are for the crew to disembark if they decide to disembark, but it seems that the fire suppression has been completed and there are no additional risk factors, so it is determined that they will stay on the ship,” Yonhap quoted an HMM representative as saying.

South Korea’s government said earlier Tuesday that it would “review its position” on joining U.S. military operations to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after President Trump called explicitly for Seoul to do so in light of the attack on the NAMU.

After Iran launched its first attack on a Persian Gulf neighbor in almost a month on Monday, lashing out as the U.S. started an operation to guide tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia’s government issued a call for “de-escalation, restraint” and diplomacy.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry voiced concern over the “current military escalation in the region” and called for “de-escalation, restraint, and support for Pakistani mediation and diplomatic efforts to reach a political solution that prevents the region from sliding into further tension and instability, which is not in the interest of the region or the world.”

The Saudi government also stressed “the importance of restoring international maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to its normal state,” demanding that all ships “be guaranteed safe and secure passage without restrictions.”

Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the United States warned Tuesday that his country has “not even started” in its standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.

“We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; whilst we have not even started yet,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a social media post.

Ghalibaf, who’s also the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said the actions of the U.S. and its allies had put shipping security at risk but said their “malign presence will diminish.” 

South Korea said Tuesday it will “review its position” on joining U.S. operations in the Strait of Hormuz after President Trump urged Seoul to take part in what he has dubbed “Project Freedom,” in the wake of an apparent Iranian attack on one of its ships.

An explosion and fire were reported on a South Korean cargo vessel on Monday in the key waterway, which has been effectively blocked since the Mideast war erupted on Feb. 28.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that all 24 crew members aboard the stricken HMM Namu — including six South Korean nationals — were unharmed and the fire on the vessel had been “completely extinguished.”

Mr. Trump said the incident should prompt South Korea to join American efforts to guide stranded ships through the strait, a major artery for the fuel exports that Seoul relies on.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s defense ministry said it would “carefully review our position” but didn’t commit to any change.

Seoul would consider its stance based on international law, the safety of international maritime routes, its alliance with the United States and the security situation on the Korean peninsula, the ministry said.

It added that it had been “actively participating in international discussions on cooperation to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The HMM Namu is almost 590 feet long and sails under the flag of Panama, data from tracking site MarineTraffic shows. 

CBS/AFP

Denmark’s freight giant Maersk said on Tuesday that one of its ships has successfully sailed through the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. escort.

The ship, the U.S.-flagged Alliance Fairfax, had been stuck in the Gulf since the war erupted in February and was “offered the opportunity” to leave accompanied by the U.S. military, Maersk said in a statement.

“The vessel subsequently exited the Persian Gulf accompanied by U.S. military assets” on May 4, the company said, adding that “the transit was completed without incident, and all crew members are safe and unharmed.”  

Two U.S. Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, according to defense officials who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters.  

The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, the defense officials said. Iran launched small boats, missiles and drones against them in what officials described as a sustained barrage.

Despite the intensity of the attacks, neither U.S. vessel was struck. 

Military officials said that defensive measures, bolstered by air support, successfully intercepted or deterred each incoming threat. They added that no projectiles that were launched reached the ships.

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday talks with the U.S. are making progress but criticized the U.S. military’s Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Events in Hormuz make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis,” Araghchi said in a social media post. “As talks are making progress with Pakistan’s gracious effort, the U.S. should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE.”

“Project Freedom is Project Deadlock,” he added.