Iran fired on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, US officials say; evacuation plan suspended

• Iran fired on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz after it was previously struck by a projectile off Oman, US officials told Reuters.
• UKMTO reported the vessel was hit on its starboard side 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit.
• The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the strategic waterway, a key global energy route.

Iran fired on a cargo ship that attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after it was initially struck by a projectile earlier on Thursday, two US officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The vessel had reported being hit on its starboard side by an unknown projectile 7.5 nautical miles southeast of the port of Dahit in Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the British navy-linked agency monitoring commercial shipping.

The latest incident comes amid heightened tensions in and around the strategic waterway, one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes.

In a separate development, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) warned that vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz outside routes designated by the authority would not be covered by safe-passage guarantees or insurance protections.

In a post on X, the PGSA said ships using unauthorized routes would forfeit insurance coverage and related liabilities, adding that any consequences would be the responsibility of the vessel’s owner, operator and commander.

“Any passage through routes outside the framework designated by PGSA will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and will not be entitled to insurance coverage or related liabilities,” the authority said.

It said the statement was issued in response to repeated inquiries over navigation through the waterway, which has seen increased international concern over maritime security amid regional tensions.

The authority added that responsibility for any consequences arising from non-designated routes rests entirely with shipowners, operators and vessel commanders.

Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said evacuation operations for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz were temporarily suspended following Thursday’s attack in the Gulf of Oman.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said he had “decided to temporarily pause” the implementation of the evacuation plan to ensure that “necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region.”