Cargo Ship Attacked in Strait of Hormuz, UN Suspends Evacuation Operations
Miles Bennett
The International Maritime Organization suspended its ship-evacuation operation through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after a cargo vessel reported being struck near Oman — benchmark crude jumped 1.9% as hopes for a return to normal Gulf oil flows took another hit.
What happened?
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship *Ever Lovely* reported being hit by a projectile near Oman. Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Iran fired on the vessel; a separate security source said it may have been a drone strike.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) — the UN body that coordinates global shipping safety — immediately suspended its evacuation operation, citing the need to reconfirm security guarantees.
The IMO added that the attacked vessel was not on its evacuation list. This means → even ships outside the plan are vulnerable, and the security vacuum in the strait is wider than assumed.
How was the evacuation set up?
The operation launched just Tuesday on a voluntary basis, offering two routes — one through Iranian waters, one through Omani waters — both under U.S. oversight.
The backdrop: hundreds of ships and thousands of seafarers had been stranded in the strait for months since the war broke out. The evacuation was meant to be the first step toward reopening the corridor.
In plain terms = the operation lasted two days before it was forced to stop — the strait is nowhere near ready for normal transit.
What is Iran pushing for?
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared Thursday that only ships using Iran-designated routes would be guaranteed safe passage; those that did not comply would face action.
The IRGC ordered two Panama-flagged vessels to change course, a move confirmed by British maritime security firm Ambrey.
This reflects Iran's drive to establish de facto control over the strait — not just a military presence, but the power to set the rules on who passes and how.
Where do U.S.–Iran talks stand?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that if Iran threatens or blocks ships in the strait, "then we're going to have a problem." President Trump earlier warned the U.S. could resume bombing if Iran fails to honor the deal.
Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf denied Washington's claim that Tehran would use unfrozen assets to buy U.S. agricultural goods, calling the statement "untrue."
The agreement sets a 60-day negotiation window to address harder issues including Iran's nuclear program. This means → the two sides cannot even agree on what the published framework says — the truly difficult talks have not begun.
What does this mean for oil prices and global energy supply?
Benchmark crude rose 1.9% after the attack, dealing a direct blow to confidence in Gulf oil-flow normalization.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said before the incident that at least 20 million barrels of oil had transited the strait in the prior 24 hours — near pre-war levels.
But before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried roughly one-fifth of the world's daily oil and LNG supply. In plain terms = volumes are recovering, yet a single attack is enough to rattle the market — the corridor is far more fragile than the throughput numbers suggest.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.