Two US Navy destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday while coming under Iranian missile, drone, and small-boat attacks. The transit came shortly after a South Korean cargo ship at anchor in the same waters caught fire following an explosion—reportedly the first damage to a Seoul-operated vessel since the Hormuz crisis began in February.
The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters, faced what US defense officials described to CBS News as a "sustained, coordinated Iranian barrage" during the transit. Despite the intensity of the assault, neither warship was hit.
US Central Command said the operation was part of 'Project Freedom', Trump's push to reopen the blockaded waterway, and stated flatly that the Iranian missiles "didn't even come close."
The US military also sank six Iranian small boats during the passage, it said. Iran denied its boats were destroyed and claimed no commercial vessels had crossed the strait.
Hours into the same operation, Seoul's Foreign Ministry confirmed that "an explosion and fire occurred on a vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company, anchored in waters near the UAE inside the Strait of Hormuz."
The ship, HMM Namu — a Panama-flagged bulk carrier operated by South Korean shipper HMM — had 24 crew on board, six of them Korean nationals. No casualties were reported and the fire was later extinguished. The cause is under investigation.
ALSO READ: South Korea Says Its Ship Damaged in Hormuz for First Time
Trump acknowledged the incident in a social media post, saying Iran had "taken some shot" at the South Korean cargo ship, before turning it into a recruitment pitch: "Perhaps it's time for South Korea to come and join the mission."
The day's events put the three-week-old US-Iran ceasefire under its most visible strain yet. Iran has maintained that 'Project Freedom' itself violates the truce. With neutral nations now taking fire alongside US forces, the question of who bears the cost of keeping Hormuz open has moved from diplomatic talking point to lived reality.
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