ARLINGTON, Va. — Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth has joined President Donald Trump in urging South Korea to participate in the U.S. Project Freedom mission. This followed an explosion involving a cargo ship operated by a significant shipping company in Seoul, which occurred in the Strait of Hormuz.
A fire and explosion were reported on Monday while the cargo ship was docked near the United Arab Emirates (UAE). South Korean officials are currently verifying if this incident was an attack.
The crew on board included six Koreans and 18 foreign nationals, thankfully with no reported casualties so far, according to Yonhap News.
Trump appears to strongly suspect that the Iranian regime is behind the explosion, stating in a post on Truth Social that they “fired some shots” at countries not involved with the U.S. He described the ongoing situation as related to Project Freedom, which involves maritime movements, including a South Korean cargo ship.
“Iran has fired several shots at unrelated countries regarding Project Freedom,” Trump wrote. “Maybe it’s time for South Korea to join this mission!”
He also noted, “They shot down seven small boats, or ‘fast’ boats as they like to call them. So far, there have been no casualties other than Korean ships passing through the strait.”
When asked by Breitbart News if South Korea had contacted the U.S. military about the explosion, and whether they would consider joining Project Freedom, Hegseth confirmed that communication had taken place. He indicated that U.S. actions in the strait were focused on creating conditions for other nations to contribute.
He expressed a hopeful attitude regarding South Korea’s potential involvement, stating, “We hope so.” Hegseth mentioned that there was ongoing communication with the ship’s crew and relevant military commands.
He asserted that the attack on the South Korean cargo ship illustrates the reckless nature of Iran’s actions.
“Just like we expect Japan to step up, we expect Australia to step up, we expect Europe to step up, we expect South Korea to step up,” he added. “But we’re not waiting for them to do that. We want to set the conditions to facilitate their involvement.”
Hegseth concluded with reference to Trump’s message, saying, “The President made it clear, ‘Hey, this is your ship, you should help defend it,’ and we very much hope they do that.”
Frances Martell of Breitbart News mentioned that the explosion occurred early Tuesday morning, shortly after reports surfaced in South Korea that President Lee Jae-myung was contemplating sending ships to assist in long-term maritime security efforts led by the Defense and State Departments.
The Ministry of National Defense indicated that they had formally proposed participation in the mission after evaluating international law, sea lane security, the Korea-U.S. alliance, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and domestic legal processes.
Notably, Lee had previously stated a commitment to offering a “practical contribution” to security in the Strait, though specific details were not disclosed.
