Singapore-Flagged Cargo Vessel Hit By Projectile Near Oman Coast As US-Iran Truce Faces Early Challenge

Tehran: A Singapore-flagged cargo vessel came under attack on Thursday while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, in the first serious test for the US-Iran interim agreement signed last week to halt months of hostilities and reopen one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. According to reports from Reuters, citing American officials, the vessel was struck by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The incident occurred only hours after Tehran cautioned that ships not following routes approved by Iran could face punitive action.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed that the ship reported being hit by a projectile close to Oman’s coastline. As per reports, the strike caused damage to the vessel’s bridge but did not result in any injuries to crew members. Various maritime sources later identified the ship as the Ever Lovely, registered under the Singapore flag. The attack has cast doubt over Donald Trump’s newly brokered peace arrangement with Tehran, which was intended to end months of conflict and restore secure passage through the strategic waterway.

Following the attack on the Ever Lovely just days after the deal was announced, attention has now turned to Washington’s response should evidence confirm that Iran breached the terms of the accord. The waterway only recently resumed normal traffic after the interim agreement, but Thursday’s strike has revived concerns about the fragility of maritime security in the region and Tehran’s control over navigation.

Reports suggested that minutes before the reported strike, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a warning that safe passage through the Strait would only be guaranteed for vessels using transit lanes designated by Tehran. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian body set up to supervise navigation in the waterway, also confirmed the warning in a post on X.

“Consequences arising from passage through unauthorised routes shall be the responsibility of the owner, operator, and vessel commander,” the authority stated, though Iran has not issued any comment on the attack itself. However, the IRGC had earlier on Thursday said that they would act against ships that failed to comply with Iran’s specified transit routes, reinforcing Tehran’s assertion of oversight over the strait despite the recent US-Iran understanding.

The attack has led the UN’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to temporarily halt a newly launched programme intended to help vessels and seafarers exit the Gulf safely following months of regional conflict. The initiative, introduced earlier this week, was designed to assist hundreds of ships and thousands of crew members who had remained stranded since fighting began in late February.

IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez stated that the organisation had chosen “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”. The IMO clarified that the Ever Lovely was not listed under its evacuation scheme. 

Under the programme, ships could voluntarily depart the Gulf via two designated corridors, one through Iranian waters and another through Omani waters, both monitored with US oversight.

The incident has introduced fresh uncertainty over the future stability of the Strait of Hormuz, which had only just reopened under the preliminary US-Iran deal. Before the attack, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, concluding a tour of Gulf allies meant to reassure them of American commitment, warned that any Iranian meddling with shipping would provoke consequences.

“If Iran threatens or blocks ships in the strait, then we’re going to have a problem,” Rubio stated. Despite the reopening under the interim accord, Iran has continued to signal the intention to maintain substantial control over navigation through the passage. 

Earlier on Thursday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright noted that oil shipments through the strait were nearing pre-conflict levels, with over 20 million barrels having moved through in the previous 24 hours.