Iran announced Thursday that fires broke out in two oil tankers and a naval tug while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, which is one of the most prominent axes of the war between Tehran and Washington.
The Revolutionary Guard reported in a statement reported by Iranian official media that "two separate incidents" had occurred, the first of which was that "a huge oil tanker that was trying to cross the illegal corridor south of the strait was exposed (on Wednesday evening) to a fire after it collided with a mine and stopped moving."
He added, "Another giant oil tanker that was on its way out of this corridor east of the Strait of Hormuz stopped as a result of a massive fire, while a naval tug that approached it to extinguish the fire also caught fire."
Iran has practically closed the strait since the start of the US-Israeli war on it on February 28, and has repeatedly targeted ships crossing it without its permission, while Washington responded by imposing a naval blockade on the ports of the Islamic Republic.
On the other hand, the Revolutionary Guard announced that it had taken control of two “aggressor” Lucas drones in Iranian airspace.
These drones, which the US military describes as “low-cost and designed similar to the Iranian Shahed drones”, entered service for the first time when the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran.
South Korea intends to deploy a maritime patrol plane and an explosive clearance team near the Strait of Hormuz
The South Korean Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday its intention to expand the mission of its Cheonghae naval unit to include the waters near the Strait of Hormuz, by deploying a maritime patrol plane and a team specialized in removing explosives, in a move aimed at protecting commercial navigation and keeping the waterway open, without engaging in a war with Iran.
The Ministry confirmed that expanding the scope of the unit's operations, currently charged with combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, will be limited to non-combat missions, according to what was reported by Yonhap News Agency.
The agency reported that the deployment will include a destroyer, a B-8 maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal team, and drone boats.
An official at the Ministry of Defense told reporters, on condition of anonymity, that strengthening the mission aims to “protect our citizens and preserve our economic interests,” stressing that the unit will operate independently of allied forces.
He added that operations will be limited to open waters south of the Sultanate of Oman, with a ban on targeting or monitoring Iranian territory, or entering Iranian territorial waters and the interior areas of the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement comes in light of the disruption of shipping traffic through the strait since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran on February 28, a strategic corridor through which about a fifth of global oil supplies used to pass.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung confirmed in September his country's adherence to the principle of not engaging in war or military intervention, stressing the continued commitment to this position.
Extending the deployment authorization for the Cheonghae unit, currently authorized until the end of the year, requires approval from the South Korean parliament.
Tehran had warned Seoul against taking steps to contribute to ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump: No immediate plans to strike Iran
US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States does not intend to launch a new military strike on Iran at the present time, expressing his satisfaction with the course of the confrontation with Tehran, and stressing Washington’s readiness to resume attacks if necessary.
In a six-minute phone interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Trump said that the United States “gets everything it wants,” referring to the results of the confrontation with Iran.
Asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hints of a possible attack later in the week, Trump said: "I'm ready, and we're ready. We're ready to act if we need to, but there may not be a reason to."
Trump's statements came hours before the polls closed in the midterm congressional elections, which were dominated by voters' fears of inflation and the sharp rise in fuel prices, following Washington's decision to enter into war with Iran.
Trump expected energy prices to fall sharply after the elections, noting that larger quantities of oil are currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz compared to what was the situation before the war, and that the American blockade on Iranian ports is succeeding in strangling the Iranian economy.
