Dubai: A United Nations agency paused the evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, following the passage of several tankers that had used a UN-backed route.
The head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the plan to move stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz would remain on hold until the agency could confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region.
The report of the strike came hours after Iran threatened to stop vessels from using the route through the strait without Tehran's permission. The vessel that was attacked was not part of the evacuation effort, said Arsenio Dominguez, the UN agency's secretary-general.
A US official told The Associated Press that the vessel was hit by an Iranian drone.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation, said the merchant vessel Ever Lovely was attacked by a drone operated by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Following reports of the attack, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority — a new government agency established to control shipping in the strait — wrote on X that transit outside its designated routes "will not be covered by the guarantee of safe passage."
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said the vessel sustained damage but reported no injuries or environmental impact from the attack off the coast of Oman.
Alternative passage
The opening of an alternative passage through the vital waterway would relieve pressure on the global economy and remove Iran's main source of leverage in the ongoing peace talks with the United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to the Gulf to reassure American allies, said Washington was committed to the new route and to ensuring that ships could transit the strait.
"If that stops, then we're going to have a problem," Rubio said on Thursday before the report of the strike on the ship.
Traffic through the strait increased in recent days but remained well below pre-war levels. Oil prices on Thursday briefly dipped below their last pre-war level of just under USD 73 per barrel, a sign that the market believes the situation is improving.
The US and Iran are still debating the terms of an interim peace deal, including issues such as ensuring safe passage for ships through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf and addressing the future of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Under the memorandum of understanding signed last week, the US and Iran have 60 days to iron out the details. As talks continue behind closed doors, US President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders have appeared to negotiate in public, trading threats and claiming concessions that the other side denies.
Meanwhile, a flare-up of fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants has threatened the broader truce. Lebanon says five people have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past two days. Iran says the tentative deal to end the war would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has rejected.
More ships pass through Hormuz
Oil tankers, led by the Stoic Warrior, sailed along the coasts of the United Arab Emirates and Oman early Thursday, passing Oman's Musandam Peninsula close to shore. The route was laid out by Oman and the International Maritime Organization.
North of the route lies a corridor in the centre of the strait where ships moved freely before the war, transporting about one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas.
Iran said it mined that passage after the US and Israel attacked it on February 28. At least one mine has reportedly been sighted there.
Though some ships had been getting out of the strait with US military support, the UN agency's effort was the latest initiative to free trapped vessels. Shipping company Maersk said its container ship, the Maersk Baltimore, and another chartered vessel made it out on Thursday.
Last week, 125 vessels crossed the strait, up from 33 the previous week, according to marine data and analysis firm Lloyd's List Intelligence.
According to S&P Global, Wednesday saw 78 transits — the highest number since the war began — but still below the pre-war daily average of more than 130.
Iran says the new shipping route is unacceptable
The naval arm of the Revolutionary Guard issued a warning on Thursday against using the new route.
In a statement carried by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, naval officials said the route had been established without notice or coordination with Iran, calling it "unacceptable and completely dangerous."
"The only authorised route for passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the one declared by the Islamic Republic of Iran," the force said. "Vessel traffic outside these routes is extremely dangerous and prohibited."
"Violators will be dealt with," it added, without elaborating.
On Wednesday, the Guard threatened one tanker over the radio, with a soldier warning, "You are in range of my missiles and maybe (I) fire on you," according to private security firm Ambrey.
US to ensure there are no tolls on ships
Rubio met with foreign ministers from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council to assure them that their interests would be protected under any agreement with Iran.
Those countries, including major energy producers that rely on the strait for exports, came under attack by Iran after the war began.
"There is no part in this deal that's undertaken that in any way undermines the security, the stability or the prosperity of any of our partners in the Gulf region," Rubio said at the meeting in Bahrain.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said the agreement offered a glimmer of hope but stressed that it was "critically important that Iran adheres to its obligations."
Lebanon remains a flashpoint
A lull in fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah that began on Sunday started to show signs of strain after Israel said it had targeted Hezbollah militants.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said on Thursday that three people were killed in an Israeli strike on a car in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has described the recent strikes as a ceasefire violation but has not retaliated. The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had fired on two separate groups suspected of being Hezbollah members. The strikes came as Lebanese and Israeli officials were in Washington discussing a proposed phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.
Israel's military also said on Thursday that a reservist soldier was killed in southern Lebanon.