For over a hundred days, the cargo ship Ever Lovely was stuck in the Persian Gulf. It had been trapped since early March after Iranian forces blocked the important waterway following military actions by the United States and Israel. On June 25, 2026, the ship tried to escape. It sailed through a special path near Oman's coast, heading towards the open sea.
Suddenly, a drone attacked. The unmanned aircraft hit the right side of the ship's bridge, near the Omani port of Dahit. American officials blamed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the attack. Fortunately, the crew was unharmed, and the ship, managed by Evergreen Marine, did not release any dangerous materials. The vessel maintained its structure and completed its journey through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, the explosion had wider consequences. Just two days before, the International Maritime Organization had started a large operation to rescue about 11,000 sailors stuck on 600 ships in the Gulf for months. This rescue mission is now completely stopped.
Arsenio Dominguez, head of the UN maritime agency, paused the rescue efforts. He mentioned that the Ever Lovely was not officially part of his agency's evacuation plan, even though it used an internationally agreed route. He stated, "The safety of the seafarers remains paramount. Therefore, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained."
The attack also undermines a recent diplomatic agreement. A week earlier, the United States and Iran had agreed to a sixty-day truce to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas. Maritime traffic had increased significantly after this deal.
Despite the truce, Iran has been increasing its control over the region, creating a new agency to manage the waterway. After the drone strike, this agency warned that ships not following approved routes would not be guaranteed safety. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously warned that only routes declared by Iran were authorized.
The Ever Lovely had been using a southern route suggested by international groups, ignoring Iran's demands. Singapore's maritime authorities condemned the strike as a violation of international law. Global energy markets reacted with nervousness, with oil prices rising briefly.