As Korean tanker transits Strait of Hormuz, questions arise over how

A Korean-flagged vessel is now passing through the Strait of Hormuz after being stranded in the Persian Gulf for months, according to the Korean foreign minister on Wednesday, though analysts remain divided over whether the breakthrough came from diplomacy or from the fallout of an airborne strike on a Korean-operated vessel earlier this month. 

“At this very moment, one of our oil tankers is leaving the Strait of Hormuz under an agreement with the Iranian side,” Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said during a Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee session at the National Assembly on Wednesday. 

“We have finalized the consultations with Iranian authorities, and the vessel began sailing yesterday [referring to Tuesday],” Cho said.

Tehran notified the Korean Embassy in Iran late Monday that the vessel had secured clearance to leave the strait. The vessel began operating to transit the strait accordingly through a route designated by Iran.

The vessel in question appears to be the HMM Universal Winner, a 160,000-ton oil tanker that departed Kuwait on March 4 and remained stranded near Qatari waters due to the maritime blockade, according to ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic. 

Cho noted that the tanker was carrying two million barrels of crude oil, roughly equivalent to Korea’s daily oil consumption.

It is expected to arrive at the Port of Ulsan, around 307 kilometers (190 miles) southeast of Seoul, on June 8. 

No money was paid to Iran in transit fees or other charges in exchange for the passage permit, according to the Korean government. The clarification appeared aimed at resolving concerns that the payment or promises — if they did happen — could have violated U.S.-led sanctions against Iran.

Analysts say the first successful departure — a tanker heading for Korea — reflects Seoul’s success in pushing its strategic priorities during talks with Tehran. 

Throughout the negotiations, the government had urged Tehran to prioritize vessels carrying several Korean crew members or carrying energy-related cargo bound for Korea. The latest passage suggests that Iran has at least partially accommodated Seoul’s requests.

Of the 26 South Korean-flagged ships previously stranded near the strait, four — including the Universal Winner — are oil tankers.

The development stands in stark contrast to a failed attempt just a month earlier. On April 18, another Korean vessel bound for Pakistan saw its bid to escape thwarted at the last minute.

Tehran had had approved passage, but the situation deteriorated again after Washington launched military operations, including “Project Freedom,” an evacuation mission for commercial vessels.

Officials and analysts say the attack on the HMM Namu on May 4 may have given Seoul greater leverage in its talks with Iran this time around. 

On May 4, the HMM Namu suffered an explosion by an unidentified airborne object in waters near the Strait of Hormuz. The fire broke out on the port side of the engine room aboard the vessel, rendering it unable to operate under its own power. It was later towed to a port in Dubai for investigation. 

The Universal Winner belongs to Korean shipper HMM, the same company that operated the Namu, according to a Bloomberg report.

The government, which had been cautious about explicitly identifying Iran as the HMM Namu attacker, had taken a sharper tone last week.

“Common sense suggests the likelihood of an actor other than Iran being responsible isn't high,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said last Thursday. "We cannot tell Iran 'it's you' without precise evidence.”

The official added that the ministry “expects some form of appropriate response once investigators present their findings to the Iranian side.” The source added that once a perpetrator is confirmed, the government will "have to launch a corresponding diplomatic offensive."

High-level communication between Seoul and Tehran followed afterward.

On Sunday, Cho and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call at Seoul’s request, marking the first ministerial-level talks since the attack against the Namu. During the call, Cho demanded that Iran guarantee the free navigation of Korean vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi, in return, agreed on the need to restore safe navigation on the strait and that the maritime deadlock should come to an early end.

Seoul said it had been reviewing other countries’ responses to suspected Iranian attacks on vessels as it prepared its own measures. Similar cases in other countries have shown that shipping routes can reopen after such attacks.

In March, Thailand — which lost three crew members in an attack blamed on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — succeeded in withdrawing one of its detained cargo ships shortly after the United States and Iran declared a cease-fire last month.

Even so, Seoul draws a clear distinction between Iran’s recent passage clearance and the attack on the Namu, insisting negotiations over transit through the strait had been underway long before the attack and that the two issues are unrelated.

Diplomats believe the government opted for “strategic ambiguity” — applying indirect pressure on those believed to be responsible while avoiding naming a specific country.

With 25 Korean vessels still stranded near the strait, Seoul is likely to try to preserve leverage for additional rescue efforts without further provoking Tehran.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY YOON JI-WON [[email protected]]