Iran Attacks Cargo Ship, Testing Trump’s Deal to Reopen Strait
Attack takes place hours after Iranian warning to ships not to use routes that the regime hadn’t sanctioned
June 25, 2026 The Wall Street Journal
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz, according to two senior U.S. officials, testing the deal signed last week by the U.S. and Iran to end the fighting and reopen the vital shipping lane.
The attack, which damaged the ship’s bridge but left no casualties, according to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, took place near the coast of Oman hours after the Iranian paramilitary’s navy warned ships not to use routes through the waterway that the regime hadn’t sanctioned.
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 U.S.
The 60-day deal to reopen the strait requires that Iran make its best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels, in return for the lifting of the U.S. blockade of its ports. As part of the pact, the U.S. waived sanctions on Iranian oil sales this week and allowed Tehran to sell its crude in dollars for the first time in decades.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the attack or its bearing on the deal.
Shipping traffic through the global-energy chokepoint had begun to rebound this week, reaching its highest level since the war began, with 70 to 80 vessels on Wednesday making it through the neck of the Persian Gulf, according to ship trackers whose estimates vary.
Ship-tracking firm Kpler said that 70 vessels had crossed the strait, more than double the number the day before, in an indication that shippers were regaining confidence to make the crossing after months when only a trickle of traffic had gone through because of the threat of Iranian attacks and the U.S. blockade.
Over the weekend, Iran declared the strait closed again as a result of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, the cessation of which is a requirement of the deal to end the war between the U.S. and Iran. The regime hasn’t so far officially confirmed that the waterway is open. However, the country also hadn’t attacked commercial ships transiting through the strait since June 12, when a tanker was struck days before the U.S. signed the interim agreement with Iran to reopen the channel.
On Thursday, the Revolutionary Guard said on its official Telegram channel that three tankers using the southern route sanctioned by the International Maritime Organization were ordered to turn back. Maritime intelligence firm Windward said in a report Thursday that five vessels made U-turns.
The Revolutionary Guard had warned any attempt to cross the Strait along a route designated by the International Maritime Organization would be “unacceptable and completely dangerous” and all vessels should coordinate with Iran.
Before the attack, the Ever Lovely loaded a cargo in Umm Qasr in Iraq and set out for Singapore, according to ship tracker Marine Traffic. The ship’s owner, Evergreen Marine Asia Pte Ltd in Singapore, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Ever Lovely had been stuck in the gulf for more than 100 days, according to financial data provider LSEG. It sailed toward the mouth of the strait Thursday morning local time, joining three other ships that also were attempting to cross the strait round about the same time.
All four ships followed the route identified by the International Maritime Organization, hugging the Omani coast, according to ship tracking data and crew members on a nearby ship. Ever Lovely was sailing the fastest, and therefore leading the group. There was no warning from the Iranian navy to the ships on radio or telling them to turn back, according to the seafarers in the flotilla.
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