Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, testing the U.S.-brokered agreement aimed at reopening the strategic waterway, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The vessel, Ever Lovely, was struck near Oman’s coastline after Iranian naval forces warned commercial ships not to use routes that had not been approved by Tehran. The attack damaged the ship’s bridge but caused no casualties, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The incident prompted the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to suspend its evacuation operation for hundreds of vessels still stranded in the Persian Gulf while officials reviewed security conditions. The IMO later said the damaged vessel was not part of its evacuation framework.

Under the 60-day agreement, Iran committed to making every effort to ensure the safe passage of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of the U.S. blockade on its ports. Washington also waived sanctions on Iranian oil sales, allowing Tehran to sell crude in U.S. dollars for the first time in decades.

Commercial shipping had begun rebounding this week, with roughly 70 to 80 vessels transiting the strait on Wednesday. Ship-tracking firm Kpler said 70 ships crossed the waterway that day—more than double the previous day’s total—suggesting that confidence among shipping companies had begun to recover.

Despite that improvement, Iran has not officially declared the strait reopened. On Thursday, the IRGC announced that three tankers using the southern route approved by the IMO had been ordered to turn back, while maritime intelligence firm Windward reported that five vessels made U-turns after the Iranian warnings.

Before the attack, the Ever Lovely had departed Umm Qasr, Iraq, with cargo bound for Singapore after spending more than 100 days in the Persian Gulf. It was leading a group of four vessels along the IMO-designated route near Oman’s coast when it was struck.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)