Iran rammed a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, forcing a halt in the evacuation of stranded ships and demonstrating its continued ability to restrict the critical waterway despite a deal reached last week with the United States.
A US official told CNN that the ship was attacked by an Iranian drone, but gave no further details.
While Iran has not claimed responsibility, Thursday’s attack came hours after its Revolutionary Guards warned that ships would be given safe passage only through Iranian lanes, defying the Trump administration’s claim that the strait is free and open again.
The new attack, the first reported since the US and Iran agreed last week to work towards a peace deal, sent global oil prices soaring and came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to sell the deal to skeptical Gulf states.
Vessels were advised to proceed with caution and report suspicious activity.
The attack forced the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) to halt its mission to evacuate hundreds of ships and more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Persian Gulf region since the war broke out.
The evacuation mission began only in the last few days, after the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
This week, ship movements in the Strait of Hormuz reached their highest point since the war began in late February, with MarineTraffic data showing 70 crossings on Wednesday.
Iran sees control of the waterway as a key leverage point in negotiations. On Thursday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that safe passage would only be granted to ships through routes declared for Iran.
The current deal between Washington and Tehran includes a commitment to reopen the waterway duty-free for 60 days and has already seen the US lift its blockade of Iranian ports. But the 14-point memorandum also gives Iran a formal role in overseeing commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz along Oman.
Tehran began imposing taxes on ships wishing to pass through the strait during the conflict, something the Trump administration has vowed not to allow under a long-term peace deal.
The signing of the deal last week saw global oil prices fall to their lowest level since the start of the war with Iran.
The memorandum aims to stop the fighting, open the Strait of Hormuz and offer Iran economic relief in exchange for a promise never to develop nuclear weapons.
