Tierney L. Cross/Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump has accused Iran of a “foolish violation” of its truce with Washington after a cargo ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz was attacked.
No casualties were reported after the ship was struck by a projectile on Thursday. In response, the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) paused its planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the key shipping lane.
Trump took to Truth Social on Friday to accuse Iran of shooting at least four drones at traversing ships, with one hitting.
“Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” he wrote.
The attack came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that attempts to cross the strait along a route designated by the IMO would be “unacceptable and completely dangerous” and vessels should coordinate with Iran.
Iranian state media is also reporting on Friday fresh assertions from the IRGC that the strait is Iran’s territory.
Trump said while “we knocked down” three drones, one hit the upper deck of a “large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship”.
“Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way,” he said.
His remarks reflect the ship’s owner’s report that limited damage had been caused and that the vessel had since safely transited the strait.
According to British maritime security agency UKMTO, the ship was struck 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit by “an unknown projectile”.
The Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged ship, had been following the UKMTO’s recommended route through the strait when it was struck, the ship’s owner, Evergreen, said.
“All crew members remain safe as does the vessel itself and all cargo,” it added.
ReutersThe vessel followed a southern route identified by the IMO on Thursday morning, data from the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic reviewed by BBC Verify shows.
IMO chief Dominguez said in a statement on Thursday the ship “did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework”, without going into further detail.
After announcing the pause of the evacuation plan on Thursday, Dominguez on Friday said he was working with parties, including the US, Iran and Oman, to obtain guarantees vessels would not be targeted.
“As soon as I get further confirmations of that, we’re ready to re-initiate the process of evacuation,” he said.
The IMO said some 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers had been able to cross the strait before the evacuation was paused.
The strait was reopened as a result of a ceasefire deal between the US and Iran earlier this month.
After US and Israeli attacks against Iran began at the end of February, Tehran effectively closed the strait – a critical waterway for oil and gas shipments – causing a spike in global oil prices and choking off shipments of other crucial commodities such as fertiliser.
The US and Iran agreed to end hostilities under a 14-point memorandum of understanding – which also called for Iran to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days”.
However, Tehran has repeatedly said it plans to charge what it calls maritime service fees for crossing the strait, as opposed to tolls, in a plan fiercely opposed by the US.
