UN Pauses Hormuz Escort Operation After Attack on Singaporean Cargo Ship

The International Maritime Organization, the UN shipping agency, said Thursday it is temporarily suspending its escort and evacuation operation in the Strait of Hormuz after an attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely near Oman. Secretary-General Arsenio Dominges said the pause is meant to review the security guarantees for vessels covered by the evacuation plan. The IMO said the ship hit was not part of the evacuation program.

Reuters and The Washington Post, citing American officials, reported that Iran carried out the attack, and one official said the vessel was struck by an Iranian drone. The British maritime security center UKMTO said the ship’s bridge was damaged, but no one was hurt.

Before the attack, Iran warned ships not to use the new routes near Oman. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said safe passage through Hormuz would be allowed only on routes approved by Tehran, and an Iranian Hormuz strait authority said vessels sailing outside the designated lanes would not receive security guarantees.

The incident came as traffic had increased on the alternative route promoted by the IMO and Omani officials. Windward said about 50 cargo ships crossed the strait on Wednesday, the highest daily total since the war began, though volume remained far below pre-war levels. The standoff underscores the broader struggle over control of the strategic waterway, with Iran demanding use of its approved lanes and the United States and other Western countries insisting Hormuz is an international shipping route that must remain open to free navigation.