Thailand condemns Hormuz ship strike, demands Iran apology

Thailand denounced the attack on a Thai-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and demanded that Iran issue an apology, as the authorities race to rescue three crew members feared trapped aboard the damaged ship.



The bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was struck on March 11 by Iranian projectiles while transiting the strategic waterway without cargo.



Of the 23 crew members on board, 20 were rescued by the Omani navy after abandoning the vessel in a lifeboat.



The three missing sailors are believed to be trapped in the engine room at the stern, where the ship was hit and a fire broke out.



During a meeting with Iran’s ambassador on March 12, Sirilak Niyom, deputy permanent secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed the country’s “strongest protest” against the strike on the vessel and “requested the Iranian authorities issue a statement of apology and clarify the facts surrounding the incident”.



Sirilak also expressed hope that a similar incident would not occur again, and ambassador Nassereddin Heidari assured that Thailand’s protest would be promptly relayed to Tehrant.