SEOUL, May 14 (Reuters) – The possibility that an entity other than Iran was responsible for the attack against a South Korean cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz is low, a senior official in Seoul was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency on Thursday.
South Korea is analysing intelligence shared by the U.S. on the May 4 attack against South Korean shipper HMM’s Namu vessel, which caused a fire and damaged the lower stern hull, Yonhap quoted a senior foreign ministry official as telling reporters.
“Once we go through the investigation and present the evidence, I trust that the Iranian side will respond in an appropriate way,” the official said.
South Korea’s foreign ministry could not immediately confirm the official’s comments.
Seoul has sent teams of experts to Dubai, where the Namu is being inspected ahead of planned repairs, to conduct a forensic investigation of the damage to the vessel.
Iran has previously denied responsibility for the attack that involved a strong impact on the side of the vessel and has since refrained from commenting further as Seoul continued its probe.
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.
(Reporting by Jack KimEditing by Ed Davies)
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