World News: Iran Attacks Ship, Tests 60-Day Deal To Reopen Strait

 

“Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz, two senior U.S. officials said, testing the deal signed last week by the U.S. and Iran to end the fighting and reopen the vital shipping lane.

 

The ship was hit by a one-way attack drone that maneuvered to the western side of the vessel, said one of the officials, an indication that the strike was deliberate.

 

The attack, which damaged the ship's bridge but left no casualties, according to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, occurred near the coast of Oman hours after the Iranian paramilitary's navy warned ships not to use routes through the waterway that the regime hadn't sanctioned.

 

On Tuesday, the International Maritime Organization told shippers it was coordinating an evacuation route for the hundreds of ships still stuck in the Persian Gulf in cooperation with Iran, Oman, other coastal states and the U.S.

 

Hours after the attack, the IMO -- a United Nations body -- said it paused the evacuation operation. Arsenio Dominguez, IMO secretary-general, said the pause was 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 vessel that was attacked didn't transit under the IMO's evacuation framework, he added.

 

The 60-day deal to reopen the strait requires that Iran make its best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels, in return for the lifting of the U.S. blockade of its ports.

 

"We are aware of these reports and looking into them. President Trump has been clear that Iran cannot subvert the free flow of traffic in the Strait," the White House said in response to a request for comment.

 

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a body set up by Tehran to collect tolls from ships transiting the strait and which is under U.S. sanctions, said "any passage through routes outside the framework designated by PGSA won't be covered by safe passage guarantees and won't be entitled to insurance coverage or related liabilities. "The consequences arising from passage through unauthorized routes shall be the responsibility of the owner, operator, and vessel commander."

 

On Thursday, the Revolutionary Guard said that three tankers using the southern route sanctioned by the IMO were ordered to turn back. Maritime intelligence firm Windward said five vessels made U-turns. The Revolutionary Guard had warned attempts to cross the strait along a route designated by the IMO would be "unacceptable. The owner of the damaged ship, Evergreen Marine Asia, couldn't be reached.” [1]

 

1. World News: Iran Attacks Ship, Tests 60-Day Deal To Reopen Strait. Holliday, Shelby; Feng, Rebecca.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 26 June 2026: A8.