UN pauses ship evacuations through strait of Hormuz after vessel attack

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman. Photograph: Reuters View image in fullscreen Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman. Photograph: Reuters UN pauses ship evacuations through strait of Hormuz after vessel attack International Maritime Organization says plan on hold until safety guarantees confirmed after projectile hits vessel A United Nations agency paused the evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz on Thursday after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman following the passage of several tankers that used a route backed by the UN. The head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization said the plan to move stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region. It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted. The report of a strike came hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using the route through the strait without Tehran’s permission. The vessel that was attacked was not part of the evacuation effort, said Arsenio Dominguez, the UN agency’s secretary-general. Iran rejects UN-backed plan to free ships trapped in strait of Hormuz Read more After reports of the attack, Iran’s Persian Gulf strait authority – a new government agency established to control shipping in the strait – wrote on X that transit outside its own designated routes “will not be covered by the guarantee of safe passage”. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said the vessel sustained damage, but it reported no injuries or environmental effects from the attack off the coast of Oman . The opening of an alternative passage through the vital waterway would relieve pressure on the world economy and remove Iran’s main source of leverage in ongoing peace talks with the United States. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on a visit to the Gulf to reassure American allies, said Washington was committed to the new route and ensuring that ships are able to transit the strait. “If that stops, then we’re going to have a problem,” Rubio said Thursday before the report of the strike on the ship. Traffic through the strait increased in recent days but was still well below prewar levels. Oil on Thursday briefly dipped below its last prewar price of just under $73 per barrel, a sign that the market believes the situation is improving. The US and Iran are still debating terms of an interim peace deal, including issues such as getting ships through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the memorandum of understanding signed last week, the US and Iran have 60 days to iron out the details. As talks are held behind closed doors, US President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders have seemed to negotiate in public, trading threats and claiming concessions the other s