A cargo ship was hit near Oman by a projectile, Britain’s maritime watchdog UKMTO says, hours after Tehran warned the ship against taking unauthorized routes.
The United Nations Maritime Organization suspended its operation to escort ships through Strait of Hormuz Thursday, June 25, after a ship reported an attack, raising concerns about whether a original plan stop Iran the war will continue.
The cargo ship said it was hit near Oman by a missile, Britain’s maritime watchdog UKMTO said, hours after Tehran warned the ship against taking routes it did not approve.
Two US officials told Reuters that Iran opened fire on the ship, while the Persian Gulf Authority, which Tehran set up to oversee the ships’ requests to travel through the strait, said ships outside of its designated lanes would not be guaranteed safe passage.
“Consequences arising from passing unauthorized routes will be the responsibility of the owner, operator, and commander of the ship,” Iranian authorities said.
Four sources identified the ship as the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely. A security source said it may have been targeted by a drone.
There was no immediate comment from the US government. US President Donald Trump warned earlier this month that if Iran does not respect the agreement aimed at ending the war and reopening the sea channel that The US would probably go back to bombing the country again.
Ships and sailors were stranded for months
The IMO was helping to get hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of sailors out of the sea where they had been stranded for months since the start of the war in late February.
It decided to “temporarily suspend its implementation to confirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to exist for the ships on our rescue list and all those in the region,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.
The IMO said the ship involved in the suspected attack was not part of its evacuation plan.
The scheme, which was launched on Tuesday, was an optional option for ships and their crews to travel out of the Gulf using two routes – one through Iranian waters and the other through Omani waters, under US supervision, the IMO said this week.
Oil prices rose 2% following reports of the attack, which analysts said rekindled concerns about how long it might take for Gulf oil flows to resume normal levels.
The Oman incident is likely to refocus attention on the extent of Iran’s future control over the Strait of Hormuz which, before the conflict, handled a fifth of the world’s daily oil and natural gas supply.
Before the event, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – wrapping up a tour of the Gulf to reassure nations about the interim agreement – told reporters that if Iran threatens or blocks ships in the sea, “then we’re going to have a problem.”
Iran, however, has indicated that it will continue to control the sea.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that safe passage through the sea is only possible through channels designated by Iran, adding that it will take action against ships that do not comply with the law.
The Revolutionary Guard also ordered two Panamanian-flagged ships to change course on Thursday, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.
Earlier, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said shipments through the strait are approaching levels seen before the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with at least 20 million barrels of oil leaving the waterway in the past 24 hours.
Other shipping data showed crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz rose this week to the highest level since the war began in February, while South Korea’s Maritime Ministry said eight more South Korean ships had left the strait.
During the conflict, Iran took effective control of the critical choke point, disrupting the flow of oil and the international energy market and the wider economy.
The battle weighs heavily on Trump ahead of November’s midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Only one in four Americans believe the war was costly, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
Conflicting accounts have emerged about elements of the ceasefire plan, which has drawn criticism of Trump at home and abroad.
Disagreements continue over financial incentives for Iran, nuclear inspections, control of the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s parallel war in Lebanon.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said Thursday that US claims that Iran will use its unfrozen assets to buy US agricultural products are false.
The accord sets the stage for 60 days of talks to tackle tougher issues, including Iran’s nuclear program. – Rappler.com
