According to a Kyunghyang Shinmun bulletin on Oct. 11, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued an alert that a tanker leaving the Strait of Hormuz was struck on its port side by an unidentified projectile. A fire broke out aboard after the hit, and no crew casualties have been confirmed.

Maeil Shinmun reported that UKMTO issued the alert after the company security officer reported the incident at around 12:00 UTC. The vessel was passing through the strait toward open waters, and no environmental damage such as an oil spill was reported. UKMTO urged ships in the area to exercise caution and report suspicious activity immediately.

Much remains unknown. The vessel's name and flag, the type of projectile and its launch point, and the party responsible have not been disclosed, and authorities are investigating. This newspaper does not speculate about who is behind it.

Iran: US reply 'insufficient'

According to the Central News Agency and Liberty Times on Oct. 12, Iranian state media quoted Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, as saying the US response to Iran's seven conditions for reopening the strait was insufficient. He called on Washington to clarify points Tehran still doubts.

Reuters reported that Iran floated the plan during the UN General Assembly, with the idea that shipping through the strait could return to normal within seven days once the conditions were met. The US replied through mediator Qatar. Rezaei stressed that until the conditions are met, the strait will not open to the US and no negotiations will begin.

He said the US reply accepted some conditions but left the rest unclear, and that Iran would 'no longer respond' to the US. The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The report added that President Donald Trump said days earlier he had rejected the proposal in question.

A broken ceasefire and unrelenting attacks

The background is long. Since war broke out in late February, Iran has controlled the strait and blocked passage by unauthorized ships. A June memorandum signed in Islamabad set the US-Iran war on a path to ending, yet attacks on ships in the strait have not stopped. Iran said in late September it had received a US reply on restoring the collapsed ceasefire.

Asia Economy, citing UKMTO, reported that 16 merchant ships were hit in Gulf waters over the past 10 days, and that at least four tanker attacks occurred in the strait in October alone. This incident fits that pattern. The same report also covered the Oct. 10 missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which killed 12. Tension across the Gulf is rising at once.

Energy importers bear the strain. South Korea sources a large share of its crude from the Middle East, so instability in the strait can translate into higher sourcing, freight and insurance costs. However, the reports we reviewed give no specific effect of this attack on oil prices or shipping insurance premiums, so we cite no figures.

The outlook is murky. Iran refuses talks until its seven conditions are met, while Washington appears undecided between partial acceptance and rejection. If attacks in and around the strait continue, the risk grows that an accidental clash outruns diplomacy, and mediators such as Qatar face another test.

A third perspective: Iran uses 'insufficient' to seize the initiative in negotiations; the US, while rejecting the proposal, has not closed the mediation channel; Gulf producers and Qatar, whose exports depend directly on the shipping lane, want a quick deal from either side; and importers like South Korea can only buy time through diversified supply and stockpiles. This newspaper holds that whoever fired the projectile, targeting civilian ships and seafarers cannot be justified. Shipping companies and crews from Korea, Taiwan and China all rely on this route, so overseas Chinese communities are no bystanders either.