A ship was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on June 25, just hours after several freighters turned around while attempting to cross the vital waterway, developments that may undermine what had been a rapid reopening of the energy chokepoint.
The unidentified cargo ship was hit on its side and sustained damage to the bridge while it was sailing to the southeast of Oman, U.K. Maritime Trade Operations said. UKMTO, which liaises between merchant shipping and the military, advised vessels to “transit with caution.”
Oil prices turned higher after the incident, and Brent crude touched session highs above $75 a barrel following a Wall Street Journal report that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship on June 25 in the Strait of Hormuz.
A White House official, however, said it was too soon to say who struck the ship. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that the U.S. was looking into which party was responsible for the strike, including whether it was an action ordered by high levels of the IRGC or a rogue decision by lower-level personnel. The official said there were no deaths or environmental damage, and that the ship was able to continue sailing.
Iran’s foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If Iran is found to be behind the incident, which UKMTO classified as an attack, it would hit shipowners’ and crews’ fragile confidence that they can once again sail through the oil corridor safely. Tehran has repeatedly said that ships can’t pass Hormuz without its permission, and a handful of tankers turned around earlier in the day after reportedly hearing warnings from the Iranian Navy that they shouldn’t cross.
UKMTO WARNING 074-26 – ATTACK
Click here to view the full warning.⤵️ #MarSec /HlPzQDLBja
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) June 25, 2026
Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on June 25 that any transit happening in routes outside its framework would not be eligible for insurance coverage or be protected by “safe-passage guarantees.”
Vessels had been racing out of Hormuz since an interim peace deal between the U.S. and Iran came into effect last week, quickly adding millions of barrels of supply. Gulf energy producers have begun ramping up production as flows through Hormuz appeared to be holding up.
Following the attack on June 25, the International Maritime Organization, the UN’s global shipping regulator said it was pausing its evacuation operations in the strait.
“I have been informed of an attack today in the Gulf of Oman on a vessel which passed through the Strait of Hormuz,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement. “This vessel did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework. I have always reiterated that the safety of the seafarers remains paramount. Therefore, to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained.”
The IMO on June 23 said it had received safety guarantees that could allow hundreds of ships to exit the Persian Gulf through the strait.
Still, even before the IMO plan was announced, there were already signs that traffic through the crucial waterway was picking up.
The IMO canceled a media briefing on June 25, minutes before it was due to start, citing unspecified urgent matters.
Two key exit routes through Hormuz have emerged over the past several weeks because the normal one through the middle is thought to have been mined. One is near Iran, while the other hugs Oman’s coastline and is protected by the U.S.
Two Supertankers
A few hours earlier, at least three commercial vessels, including two oil supertankers, appeared to turn around while attempting to cross Hormuz outbound on the Oman side. Shipping intelligence company Windward Maritime said the U-turns came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps instructed vessels to turn around using radio calls and social media platforms.
Not all ships U-turned around the same time as those that turned back, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Some continued their exits. Iranian media also reported that Tehran was reasserting its control over transits.
Traffic through Hormuz quickly picked up after an interim peace deal between the U.S. and Iran took effect last week. However, there have been glitches, including when Iran said at the weekend that the waterway was shut. Tehran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said last week that no ships are allowed to transit Hormuz without its permission.
In addition to three outbound U-turns, a fourth ship appeared to turn around after sailing toward Hormuz from the Gulf of Oman, the vessel tracking data show.
