Iran attacks cargo ship on UN-backed route, halting evacuation through Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian drone strike on the container ship Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz on June 25, 2026, has prompted the UN's International Maritime Organization to halt its evacuation of stranded vessels. The attack followed warnings from Iran's Revolutionary Guard rejecting a new UN-backed shipping route. While shipping traffic had briefly surged and oil dipped below $73, this escalation, alongside ongoing Israel-Hezbollah clashes in Lebanon, threatens fragile US-Iran peace negotiations.

Iranian drone attack

• ▪The attack on the Ever Lovely caused bridge damage but resulted in no casualties or environmental impact.
• ▪The container ship Ever Lovely, owned by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine, was struck by an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz near the coast of Oman on June 25, 2026.

UN evacuation suspension

• ▪The International Maritime Organization will keep the evacuation on hold until it can confirm safety guarantees for ships in the region.
• ▪The International Maritime Organization paused its plan to evacuate hundreds of stranded ships from the Persian Gulf following the June 25, 2026 attack.

Strait shipping route control

• ▪The pre-existing transit separation scheme route in the Strait of Hormuz remains impassable due to mines laid by Iran after February 28, 2026.
• ▪Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned that vessel transit outside its designated routes is prohibited and will not be covered by safe passage guarantees.
• ▪The naval arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected the coordinates of two temporary shipping evacuation lanes announced by the United Nations and Oman.

US-Iran peace negotiations

• ▪US Vice President Vance announced that representatives from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and US Central Command will be posted in Doha, Qatar, to settle disputes.
• ▪The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18, 2026, establishing a 60-day window to negotiate an interim peace deal.
• ▪Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf stated that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war status.

Oil market response

• ▪On June 24, 2026, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz reached 70 to 78 transits, the highest daily volume since the war began on March 1, 2026.
• ▪Oil prices briefly dipped below the pre-war level of $73 per barrel on June 25, 2026, amid signs of improving shipping traffic.

Israel-Hezbollah Lebanon clashes

• ▪An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed three people on June 25, 2026, amid ongoing clashes with Hezbollah.
• ▪Iran has demanded the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon as a condition for a permanent peace deal with the United States.

6 sources