South Korea cautious on blaming Iran for ship strike ahead of US-China summit

South Korea is treading carefully in attributing blame for the strike on one of its cargo ships earlier this month, even as preliminary signs point to Iranian drones being the culprit.

Seoul has surveillance footage of the incident in the early hours of May 4 – when two airborne objects struck the HMM Namu while it lay at anchor off the United Arab Emirates – but so far has said little.

Observers believe the government is biding its time and waiting to deliver a verdict until after a highly anticipated US-China summit later this week that some suggest could influence the trajectory of the Iran war.

It was also likely aware that “once it assigns blame to Iran, it could face greater pressure from Washington to join the Maritime Freedom Construct or other US-led maritime initiatives”, said Doo Jin-ho, a senior security researcher at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, referring to on-again, off-again efforts to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.