By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee
SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that an attack on a cargo ship operated by local shipper HMM in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month likely involved an Iranian anti-ship missile.
The Iranian embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ministry made the assessment at a briefing to announce the outcome of a government investigation into the May 4 attack on the bulk carrier, which caused a fire and damaged the lower stern hull.
“Various pieces of evidence point toward Iran,” said First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, adding that Seoul had not conclusively determined who was responsible or whether the attack was intentional.
The probe looked at debris from unidentified objects that were found inside the ship after the attack on the vessel.
The analysis showed that the ship, named Namu, was attacked twice and while the first warhead did not explode, a second did.
Components in the debris indicated the objects were likely made in Iran, the ministry said.
“Their engines were similar to turbojet engines made in Iran,” Park said, noting that one component had markings that appeared to be used by an Iranian manufacturer.
The warheads resembled those used in Iranian anti-ship missiles, the Noor or Qader, Park said.
South Korea will summon the Iranian ambassador to share the results of the investigation and deliver a protest message, he said. Seoul will also demand Iran take responsible measures to prevent a similar incident recurring, Park added.
He declined to speculate on why a South Korean ship would have been targeted, saying Seoul could not determine intent without access to the attacker’s decision-making process.
A South Korean defence official said, however, that from a naval perspective, the firing of two missiles suggested an intention to cause damage.
U.S. President Donald Trump said soon after the incident that Iran had fired at the South Korean vessel, and urged Seoul to join U.S.-led efforts to secure shipping through the strait.
Tehran has previously denied any responsibility for the attack.
(Reporting by Heejin Kim, Joyce Lee and Brenda GohEditing by Ed Davies)
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