The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) suspended its operation to help vessels leave the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after a cargo ship passing through the waterway near Oman was attacked.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said several vessels had already been evacuated, but the agency wanted to ensure that the “necessary safety guarantees” remained in place.
UK Maritime Trade Operations said a vessel had been struck by “an unknown projectile” about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit. No casualties were reported.
The attack came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that attempts to cross the strait using a route designated by the IMO would be “unacceptable and completely dangerous”, and said vessels should coordinate their passage with Tehran.
Two US officials said Iran had fired on the ship, while a security source said it was most likely targeted by a drone, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Four sources identified the vessel as the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely.
Dominguez said the vessel “did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework”.
“I have always reiterated that the safety of the seafarers remains paramount. Therefore, to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained,” he said.
Hundreds of ships and thousands of seafarers have been stranded in the Gulf since February following the outbreak of war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The UN evacuation effort was announced on Tuesday following the reopening of the strait, with Dominguez saying the “large-scale operation” had the cooperation of Iran, Oman, the United States, other coastal states and the maritime industry.
The attack also came after an Iranian body established to manage transit through the strait warned that vessels travelling outside designated routes would not be guaranteed safe passage.
“Any consequences arising from the use of unauthorised routes shall be the responsibility of the vessel’s owner, operator and master,” the Persian Gulf Strait Authority said in a post on X.
The United States and Iran agreed last week to end hostilities under a 14-point deal that called on Tehran to use its “best efforts” to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels without charge for 60 days.
However, Iran has repeatedly said it intends to impose what it describes as maritime service fees for passage through the strait rather than tolls.
The United States has opposed the plan, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Tuesday that no country was entitled to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, which he described as an international waterway.