Vessel Strike in Strait of Hormuz Prompts UN to Suspend Rescue Mission for Stranded Crews
A targeted attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday forced the United Nations to suspend its emergency evacuation plan for hundreds of stranded sailors, escalating tensions in the region as the United States warned Iran against imposing any tolls on the vital waterway.
The New York Times and other U.S. outlets reported that Iran struck a commercial vessel transiting the strait. In the aftermath, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority — an Iranian body that claims regulatory oversight of the passage — issued a statement asserting that any route outside its designated framework would not be covered by safe-passage guarantees.
“Any passage through routes outside the framework designated by PGSA will not be covered by safe passage guarantees,” the agency wrote on X.
Iran had previously blockaded the strait earlier in the conflict, triggering a global economic shockwave, and has since announced plans to introduce what it calls maritime service fees for vessels crossing the chokepoint. Thursday’s attack came just days after a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed, which had temporarily guaranteed free transit for commercial ships for 60 days. The new developments now threaten to undermine those fragile arrangements.
The attack prompted Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency responsible for maritime safety, to announce a pause in the effort to evacuate some 600 ships and their crews that have been trapped by hostilities in the region. Dominguez said in a statement that he had suspended the evacuation plan “to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list.” He noted that the vessel struck Thursday was not traveling under the IMO’s evacuation framework, which launched Tuesday evening.
The British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that the cargo ship was “hit on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the bridge,” but confirmed no casualties. The incident occurred just 7.5 nautical miles (14 kilometers) off Oman’s coast, according to the agency.
The White House said it was aware of the reports and was investigating. “President Trump has been clear that Iran cannot subvert the free flow of traffic in the Strait,” a White House official said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, touring Gulf capitals to reassure partners battered by the broader Middle East war, acknowledged in Bahrain that while the U.S. wants a deal with Iran, “we don’t want a deal at any price.” He stressed that no part of any agreement should undermine the security, stability, or prosperity of Gulf partners. Rubio also dismissed the idea of allowing Tehran to charge fees in the strait, warning it would create “total chaos.”
The memorandum of understanding signed last week between Tehran and Washington stipulated that commercial ships may transit the strait free of charge for the next 60 days. What happens after that period remains unclear, and Thursday’s attack further complicates the already tense negotiations now underway in Switzerland between U.S. and Iranian officials. Those talks are expected to address Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and the security of global energy flows through the strait, where Iran has repeatedly targeted civilian vessels.
Gulf countries and Israel have long voiced concerns over Iran’s support for regional proxies and its missile program, and it remains uncertain whether those issues will be part of the current negotiations.
Rubio sought to reassure energy-rich Gulf states that the Strait of Hormuz — on which they have relied for decades to export oil and liquefied natural gas — would remain toll-free. Gulf ministers issued a joint statement insisting that “free, unconditional and unrestricted navigation” of the strait was essential to the region.
Oman on Wednesday released a map of a temporary alternative shipping route running close to its coast, which it said was coordinated with the IMO. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards later appeared to denounce the new corridor in a statement, though they did not name Oman directly, signaling strong opposition to any arrangement that bypasses Tehran’s control.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the State Department announced that U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon, originally scheduled to conclude Thursday, would continue for another day. The fifth round of discussions began this week and will resume Friday morning. “Israel and Lebanon talks remain ongoing as we continue to facilitate,” the department said. These talks take place amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, an offshoot of the wider conflict that the U.S. and Iran are now trying to end definitively.