UN agency pauses Strait of Hormuz evacuation after cargo ship attack linked to Iran

The United Nations has temporarily halted its maritime evacuation plan for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz following an attack on a cargo ship near Oman on Thursday, June 25, 2026. The Singapore-flagged "Ever Lovely" was reportedly struck by an "unknown projectile" approximately 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's Port of Dahit, sustaining damage to its bridge. Fortunately, no casualties or environmental impact were reported from the incident.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN's maritime agency, had initiated the evacuation program earlier this week to assist hundreds of commercial vessels and thousands of seafarers stranded for months due to conflict-related disruptions. However, the IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated the decision to pause the operation was made to reconfirm safety guarantees for all ships in the region, despite the attacked vessel not being part of the evacuation convoy.

While U.S. officials have anonymously suggested Iran was responsible for the assault, Tehran has not yet issued a response. Meanwhile, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority has warned that ships operating outside designated routes will not be covered by safe passage guarantees.