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A cargo ship was damaged after it was hit by an unknown projectile off the Omani coast in the Strait of Hormuz on June 25, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported, noting that there were no casualties.
“A cargo vessel has been hit on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the bridge. Master has reported no casualties and no environmental impact,” UKMTO, a detachment of the Royal Navy, said in an advisory notice, adding the incident occurred 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit in Oman.
The suspected attack was reported just a few hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced in a statement that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is only possible through routes officially designated by the Islamic Republic.
The guards warned that any new route announced without coordination with Iran is unacceptable and a safety risk. It also vowed to take action against vessels that fail to comply with the requirements.
The warning came in response to Oman announcing temporary shipping lanes through the strait in coordination with the United Nations’ shipping agency.
The Strait of Hormuz — a checkpoint for around 20 percent of global oil and liquified natural gas shipments — has remained under Iran’s de facto control even after it was opened as a part of the memorandum of understanding to end the war with the United States.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says shipments through the waterway are approaching levels seen before the U.S. and Israel started the war on Iran on February 28, with at least 20 million barrels exiting the strait in the previous 24 hours. Oil prices fell to prewar levels as a result.
A disagreement on how the Strait of Hormuz will be run later remains. U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 25 that a final deal with Iran cannot include any fees on shipping.
“It would be unacceptable to me,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter in the Oval Office.
While the MOU he signed last week bars Iran from charging tolls in the Strait of Hormuz for the next 60 days, it leaves open the possibility that the Islamic Republic can do so afterward.
In an indirect response to Trump, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the Islamic Republic and Oman will hold talks “to define future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Araghchi announced on X he had a productive call with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and that the two countries are determined to pursue the discussions with their neighbors.
Oman, from its side, told the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gulf Arab ministers at a meeting earlier in the day that future arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz would not involve tolls.
While Iran will likely face increasing pressure over the issue, it maintains the upper hand in the Strait of Hormuz. Ultimately, the U.S., Oman and the rest of the Gulf will have to reach some settlement with the Islamic Republic on the issue, one that will most likely be in its favor.
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