The reported strike came just hours after Tehran warned that ships using routes not approved by Iran could face action.
Read Full StoryAccording to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the vessel reported being struck by a projectile near the coast of Oman.
The interim agreement was meant to end months of fighting and restore safe navigation through Strait of Hormuz.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a body established by Iran to oversee navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, later reinforced that message in a post on X.
Iran has not commented on the reported attack.
A Singapore-flagged cargo ship came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, in what is being seen as the first major challenge to the US-Iran agreement signed last week to end months of fighting and reopen one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported, citing US officials, that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked the vessel. The reported strike came just hours after Tehran warned that ships using routes not approved by Iran could face action.
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According to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the vessel reported being struck by a projectile near the coast of Oman. The attack damaged the ship's bridge but caused no casualties. Four sources later identified the vessel as the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely.
The attack has put President Donald Trump's newly brokered peace deal with Iran to its toughest test yet. The interim agreement was meant to end months of fighting and restore safe navigation through Strait of Hormuz. But with a cargo ship coming under fire just days later, attention has now shifted to how Washington will respond if Tehran is found to have violated the terms of the deal.
IRAN WARNS SHIPS TO FOLLOW ITS ROUTES
Minutes before the reported attack, Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that ships would only be guaranteed safe passage if they used routes designated by Tehran.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a body established by Iran to oversee navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, later reinforced that message in a post on X.
"Consequences arising from passage through unauthorised routes shall be the responsibility of the owner, operator, and vessel commander," the authority said.
Iran has not commented on the reported attack. However, the Revolutionary Guards said earlier on Thursday they would take action against vessels that failed to comply with Iran's designated transit routes.
IMO HALTS EVACUATION PROGRAMME
The attack prompted the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to temporarily suspend its newly launched programme designed to help ships and seafarers leave the Gulf safely after months of conflict.
The initiative, launched earlier this week, was created to assist hundreds of stranded vessels and thousands of seafarers who had remained trapped in the region since fighting erupted in late February.
IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said the organisation had decided "to temporarily pause its implementation in order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region."
The IMO clarified that the Ever Lovely was not part of its evacuation programme.
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Under the initiative, ships could voluntarily leave the Gulf using one of two designated routes—one through Iranian waters and another through Omani waters—with US oversight.
FRESH QUESTIONS OVER HORMUZ SECURITY
The latest incident has cast fresh uncertainty over the future of Strait of Hormuz, which only recently reopened under a preliminary US-Iran agreement.
Before the attack, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wrapping up a Gulf tour aimed at reassuring Gulf allies, warned that any Iranian interference with shipping would have consequences.
"If Iran threatens or blocks ships in the strait, then we're going to have a problem," Rubio told reporters.
Despite the reopening agreement, Iran has continued to signal that it intends to retain significant control over navigation through the waterway.
Earlier on Thursday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said oil shipments through the strait were approaching pre-war levels, with more than 20 million barrels passing through during the previous 24 hours.
- Ends
With inputs from agencies
