Trump says Iran attacked South Korean ship in Strait of Hormuz, suggests Seoul join Project Freedom

The US President Donald Trump said that Iran attacked several ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including South Korean ones.

He wrote about this on May 4 on his social network Truth Social.

According to Trump, of all the ships attacked by Iran, only the South Korean one was damaged. At the same time, he assured that the US military destroyed seven Iranian speedboats.

Against this backdrop, the US president suggested that perhaps it was time for South Korea to join Operation Project Freedom to remove neutral ships from the Strait of Hormuz, which he announced this morning.

Also on Fox News, Trump threatened to “wipe Iran off the face of the earth” if it attacks American ships participating in “Project Freedom”. He warned that “the Iranians will either voluntarily make a deal, or fighting could eventually resume”.

During the day, Iranian media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported attacks on US warships attempting to approach the Strait of Hormuz. Two of the ships caught fire, a claim denied by the US military.

War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels a day.

On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.

On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.

On April 19, Donald Trump announced that his representatives would go to Pakistan for talks. But Iran refused to send its delegation. The Foreign Ministry noted that the US had violated the ceasefire, and Iran "cannot forget the US attacks on it during previous talks".

On April 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had extended the truce with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. And on May 1, Axios wrote, citing a letter from Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that Trump considered the war over.

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