IMO pauses Hormuz evacuation after cargo ship hit near Oman

Thursday, June 25, 2026Developing

World Desk

What we know

The International Maritime Organization paused a United Nations-backed effort to evacuate thousands of seafarers on ships stranded in the Persian Gulf after the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center said a vessel was hit by a projectile off Oman’s coast Thursday — hours after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned ships not to use a new Oman–IMO route without Tehran’s permission.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the evacuation would stay on hold until safety guarantees could be confirmed. UKMTO reported damage but no injuries or environmental impact. Multiple outlets identified the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely as struck near Musandam; U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Gulf partners, said Washington remained committed to keeping the strait open as U.S.–Iran interim ceasefire talks continued.

What's confirmed

IMO: Hormuz evacuation of stranded ships/seafarers paused after Iran objections and the Oman-coast vessel attack (AP/PBS/Axios/NBC).
UKMTO: projectile strike damaged a vessel off Oman; no casualties or pollution reported (AP/Euronews).
IRGC Navy via IRNA: UN–Oman temporary routes “unacceptable”; only Iran-declared passages authorized; violators “will be dealt with” (AP/Euronews/Guardian via wires).
Rubio in Bahrain: U.S. committed to transit and no tolls on ships; Hormuz traffic up from war lows but still below prewar averages (AP/Reuters).

What's still developing

Attribution for the projectile and whether Ever Lovely / other ships resume the Oman-side corridor.
Impact on the 60-day U.S.–Iran memorandum and commercial oil/gas normalization through Hormuz.

Sources

PBS News (AP) — UN agency pauses evacuation of ships through Strait of Hormuz after UK says a vessel was hit link
Euronews — Cargo ship hit by projectile in Hormuz as Iran issues renewed passage warning link
CNBC — IRGC rejects UN-backed temporary Hormuz shipping routes link
Wikipedia Current events — 2026 June 25 portal (Axios/NBC/CNBC/Edge Malaysia citations) link