The U.N. International Maritime Organization paused its escort operations for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after a vessel reported an attack, reviving concerns over the durability of a preliminary deal aimed at ending the Iran conflict.
Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine said Friday that one of its vessels was struck by an “unknown object” near Oman while following a route recommended by the British maritime security agency UKMTO.
The agency had earlier reported that a ship was hit by a projectile hours after Tehran warned vessels against using routes it has not approved.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Iran fired on the vessel, while Iran’s Strait of the Persian Gulf Authority, a body set up by Tehran to manage transit requests, said ships outside approved routes would not be guaranteed safe passage.
“Consequences arising from passage through unauthorized routes shall be the responsibility of the owner, operator and vessel commander,” it said.
Evergreen said its Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely was struck on the starboard side, with initial inspections showing damage to the bridge windows. “The crew, vessel and cargo are all safe,” the company said in a stock exchange filing, adding that the ship had safely exited the Strait of Hormuz.
A security source suggested the vessel was likely targeted by a drone. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. government.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that if Iran failed to uphold an agreement aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the strait, the United States could resume military strikes against the country.
The IMO was helping to get hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of seafarers out of the strait where they had been stranded for months since the start of the war on Feb. 28.
It said it decided “to temporarily pause its implementation in order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.
The IMO said the ship involved in the suspected attack was not part of its evacuation initiative, a voluntary option it launched Tuesday to enable ships and crews to sail out of the Gulf using two routes, one via Iranian waters and the other via Omani waters, with U.S. oversight.
The Oman incident is likely to refocus attention on the extent of Iran’s future control over the Strait of Hormuz, which before the conflict handled about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Iran took effective control of the waterway when the war began, disrupting oil flows and rattling global energy markets, though oil prices dipped again Friday and were headed for steep weekly losses as more stranded tankers exited the strait.
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that three South Korean ships would leave the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after the Oceans Ministry reported eight more South Korean vessels had exited.
There were also signs that Middle Eastern producers were pushing forward with plans to boost exports. Shipping data from LSEG showed Saudi Aramco resumed oil loading at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf on Friday after a nearly four-month halt.
Two very large crude carriers controlled by Saudi Arabia’s shipping arm Bahri were seen loading crude at Ras Tanura, the world’s biggest oil port, while another waited nearby, the data showed. Each VLCC can carry about 2 million barrels of oil.
Saudi Aramco could not be immediately reached for comment.
Before the incident, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wrapping up a tour of the Gulf to reassure states about the interim pact, told reporters that if Iran threatened or blocked ships in the strait, “then we’re going to have a problem.” Iran has signaled it would continue to assert control over the strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Thursday that safe passage would only be possible through routes designated by Iran, adding that it would take action against vessels that fail to comply.
The Revolutionary Guard also ordered two Panama-flagged ships to change course Thursday, British maritime security company Ambrey said.
The war is weighing on Trump ahead of November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Just one in four Americans believes the war was worth the cost, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
Conflicting accounts have emerged over elements of the framework ceasefire deal, prompting criticism of Trump at home and abroad.
Disagreements persist over financial incentives for Iran, nuclear inspections, control of the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s parallel war in Lebanon.
The deal sets up 60 days of talks to tackle thornier issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
