Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hit cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, US officials say

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz area today, two senior US officials told The Wall Street Journal. The strike, which took place near Oman’s coast, damaged the vessel’s bridge, according to the British maritime trade body UKMTO, but no injuries were reported.

The attack came only hours after the Revolutionary Guards’ navy warned ships not to use routes through the strait that were not approved by Tehran. The incident is being seen as the first major test of a deal signed last week between the United States and Iran to end the fighting and reopen the vital shipping lane.

Under the 60-day agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is supposed to ensure safe passage for commercial ships, in exchange for the lifting of the American blockade on Iranian ports. As part of the understandings, the United States also waived sanctions this week related to Iranian oil sales, allowing Tehran to sell oil in dollars for the first time in decades.

Two days before the attack, the International Maritime Organization said it was coordinating an evacuation route for hundreds of ships still stranded in the Persian Gulf. The plan involved cooperation with Iran, Oman, other coastal states and the United States, but after the strike the UN body said the evacuation operation had been suspended. IMO Secretary-General said the pause was meant to verify that safety guarantees still held for ships on the evacuation list and for other vessels in the area. He added that the attacked ship was not sailing under the organization’s evacuation mechanism.