Iran Strikes Commercial Ship in Strait of Hormuz, Halting UN Evacuation Route

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a drone strike against a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, abruptly halting a United Nations-backed effort to evacuate thousands of stranded seafarers.[1][2]

The vessel, identified as the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely, was struck by a one-way attack drone approximately 7.5 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. The ship suffered damage to its bridge, but no casualties were reported among the crew, and the vessel was able to continue its journey through the waterway.[1][4]

Owned by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine, the Ever Lovely had been trapped in the Persian Gulf for more than 100 days due to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict. It was attempting to exit the region using a newly designated southern shipping lane established by the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Omani officials.[3][5]

In response to the strike, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez announced an immediate pause to the evacuation framework, which was designed to rescue more than 11,000 sailors stranded since February. "To ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained," Dominguez stated, noting that the targeted vessel was not officially traveling under the IMO's specific evacuation list at the time.[4][7]

The attack serves as a stark warning from Tehran regarding who controls the vital waterway. Following the strike, Iran's newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority declared that any transit outside of routes explicitly designated by Iran "will not be covered by the guarantee of safe passage."[1][2]

The IRGC echoed this sentiment, calling the UN and Oman-backed alternative routes "unacceptable and completely dangerous." According to maritime intelligence, several tankers that were heading toward the strait on the southern Omani route abruptly turned back or diverted north toward the Iranian coastline following the incident.[1][2][3]

The strike casts immediate doubt on the viability of a fragile ceasefire agreement reached last week between the United States and Iran. Under that memorandum of understanding, the U.S. agreed to lift its naval blockade in exchange for Iran ensuring freedom of navigation through the strait for a minimum of 60 days.[2][6]

U.S. officials confirmed the drone strike, with the White House stating it is closely monitoring the situation. The incident presents a major diplomatic test for the administration, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio tours the Gulf to reassure allies that the peace framework remains intact.[1][2][7]

Prior to the attack, the UN-backed route had seen a brief surge in activity. On Wednesday, nearly 50 cargo vessels successfully navigated the strait—the highest single-day volume since the conflict escalated, moving an estimated 13.4 million barrels of oil.[3]

Now, the maritime industry is once again paralyzed. With the evacuation paused and Iran asserting aggressive dominance over transit lanes, the international community faces a renewed crisis in one of the global economy's most critical chokepoints.[3][6]