South Korean President Lee Jae-myung announced that 24 of the 26 South Korea-linked vessels previously trapped in the Hormuz Strait have successfully exited the area. The ships had been stranded since February 28, following a joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran that escalated tensions in the region. Only two vessels remain in the strait, according to the president’s statement.

The conflict had initially left around 11,000 sailors stranded aboard 600 ships. Under an operation led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), approximately 115 ships carrying 2,500 crew members managed to leave the strait last week. However, renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran forced the UN-affiliated organization to temporarily suspend the rescue mission.

The situation underscores the continuing volatility in the Hormuz Strait, a critical global shipping route, as international efforts to ensure maritime safety remain disrupted by regional tensions.