Anthony Kuhn
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An explosion hit the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship operated by a South Korean shipping company on Monday.
A fire then broke out in the engine room, but there were no injuries.
President Trump said that Iran had fired on the ship and said that's why South Korea should join Project Freedom, intended to escort merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
But Iran's embassy in Seoul said in a statement that it had nothing to do with the explosion.
Seoul said it did not need to consider joining Project Freedom, as Trump himself announced its suspension after about two days.
The ship is being towed to a dock in Dubai and a South Korean government team has been sent to investigate.
has deployed missiles to the Luzon Strait near Taiwan and near the South China Sea, both of which are regional flashpoints.
This year's Balikatan drills, as they're called in Tagalog, are the biggest ever, including troops from seven nations.
Major General James B. Bartholomew III commands the U.S.
Army's 25th Infantry Division.
China perceives the drills as targeting them and has sent their own naval forces to conduct live fire exercises near the Philippines.
Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Lawag City, Ilocos Norte Province, Philippines.
The changes were approved by Japan's Cabinet and National Security Council.
They allow the export of lethal weapons only to countries that have agreements with Japan about protecting classified defense technologies and countries that are not involved in active conflicts.
Japan's government can, though, claim exceptions based on national security.
Opponents of the move object to the fact that parliamentary approval is not needed for arms sales, and they say the changes go against Japan's pacifist constitution.
Japan feels both threatened by China, Russia, and North Korea, and pressured by the U.S.