Newsletters
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of violating the ceasefire, saying Tehran launched four one-way attack drones at a cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with one striking the vessel while U.S. forces shot down the other three.
Trump made the accusation in a social media post a day after a cargo ship was damaged by an unidentified projectile off the coast of Oman. "Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Thursday that a cargo vessel sailing about 7.5 nautical miles (14 kilometers) off Oman's coast was hit on its starboard side by an unidentified projectile, damaging the bridge.
The British maritime security agency reported no casualties or environmental pollution. Following the attack, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) temporarily suspended its operation to evacuate ships and crews stranded in the Gulf.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the decision came after consultations with countries in the region. Before the operation was paused, 115 vessels carrying around 2,500 seafarers had safely left the Strait of Hormuz under the UN's safe-passage program that began on Tuesday.
The evacuation plan had been launched for about 600 ships and 11,000 sailors trapped in the Gulf because of the conflict.
Ship-tracking data showed vessels continued using an alternative route near the Omani and Iranian coasts instead of the traditional Traffic Separation Scheme, where mines remain.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained heavily disrupted since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began on Feb. 28, with attacks on commercial shipping, sea mines and competing navigation instructions sharply reducing traffic through one of the world's busiest energy corridors.
Under last week's memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, the two sides launched a 60-day negotiating process aimed at implementing the ceasefire and restoring normal shipping through the strategic waterway.
The 14-point framework calls for the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation, the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade and the clearance of sea mines by Iran within 30 days.
Shipping, however, has yet to return to normal. According to Kpler, at least 42 commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, down from 57 the previous day and well below the pre-conflict average of around 125 vessel transits a day.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
