Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, testing the interim agreement the United States and Iran signed last week to reopen the strategic waterway and end months of hostilities.
The attack on the Ever Lovely damaged the vessel’s bridge but caused no casualties, according to two senior U.S. officials and U.K. Maritime Trade Operations. It occurred near the coast of Oman hours after the Revolutionary Guard’s navy warned ships not to use routes through the strait that the regime had not sanctioned.
The 60-day deal, signed last week, requires Iran to make its best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels. In return, the U.S. agreed to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports and waived sanctions on Iranian oil sales this week, allowing Iran to sell its crude in dollars for the first time in decades.
The strike came as shipping traffic through the global energy chokepoint had begun to rebound. Ship-tracking firm Kpler reported that 70 vessels crossed the strait on Wednesday, more than double the number the day before and the highest level since the war began. Other ship trackers estimated the total at 70 to 80 vessels.
The Revolutionary Guard said on its official Telegram channel that three tankers using a southern route designated by the International Maritime Organization were ordered to turn back. Maritime intelligence firm Windward reported that five vessels made U-turns. Before the attack, the Guard had warned that any attempt to cross the strait along the IMO-designated route would be “unacceptable and completely dangerous” and said all vessels should coordinate with Iran.
The Ever Lovely had been stuck in the Persian Gulf for more than 100 days, according to financial data provider LSEG. It loaded cargo in Umm Qasr, Iraq, and was bound for Singapore. On Thursday morning local time, it sailed toward the mouth of the strait, joining three other ships attempting the crossing. All four vessels followed the route identified by the IMO, hugging the Omani coast, according to ship tracking data and crew members on a nearby ship. The Ever Lovely was sailing the fastest and was leading the group. The seafarers on the flotilla reported no warning from the Iranian navy by radio or any instruction to turn back before the attack.
Over the weekend, Iran had declared the strait closed again because of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, the cessation of which is a requirement of the U.S.-Iran deal. Iran had not attacked commercial ships transiting through the strait since June 12, when a tanker was struck days before the interim agreement was signed.
On Tuesday, the International Maritime Organization told shippers it was coordinating an evacuation route for the hundreds of ships still stuck in the Persian Gulf, in cooperation with Iran, Oman, other coastal states and the United States.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the attack or its bearing on the deal.