Iran attacks cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, disrupting shipping deal

Iran’s armed forces hit the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely, an Evergreen Marine container ship, in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman on June 25, freezing a newly launched evacuation plan.

The vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while sailing close to the Omani coastline. No injuries occurred, and the crew and cargo were safe, but initial inspections showed damage to the bridge windows and bridge area. UK Maritime Trade Operations issued a caution after a cargo vessel was hit on its starboard side, and the ship’s owner later confirmed the Ever Lovely had safely departed the Strait of Hormuz.

The International Maritime Organization paused its evacuation operation in the strait to reconfirm safety guarantees, after it had just begun to help more than 11,000 stranded seafarers and hundreds of ships leave the Persian Gulf under a newly coordinated route system. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority later confirmed all 21 crew members were safe and there were no Singaporeans on board.

Before the conflict, it handled about one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. NBC News counted at least 37 vessels transiting the strait or in the process of doing so by Friday, with 20 taking a route far south of Iran and hugging the Omani and Emirati coasts to avoid Iranian waters.

President Donald Trump warned earlier in June that if Iran did not honor the agreement to end the war and reopen the strait, the United States could resume bombing Iran. Iranian military authorities later warned vessels using unauthorized routes would not be guaranteed safe passage and warned Gulf states against siding with the United States.