On June 25, 2026, the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely was struck by a projectile or drone attack 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's port of Dahit in the Strait of Hormuz while following a southern route recommended by UKMTO and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) [1, 2, 3, 4].
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement by firing at least four attack drones at ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One of the drones hit the Ever Lovely's upper deck, causing damage but no casualties or crew injuries, allowing the ship to continue its journey [5, 1, 6, 2, 7, 8, 9, 4]. Trump stated, "One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship. Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way. We knocked down three other Drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement" [9, 2]. US forces shot down the three other drones aimed at the cargo ship during the attack [1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 4].
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical and contested waterway, with Iran asserting control and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warning vessels to coordinate routing through Iranian authorities. Despite the ceasefire signed less than three weeks earlier, sporadic violence and attacks on commercial shipping have continued in the Gulf [1, 2, 3, 4].
Following the attack, the UN International Maritime Organization paused a planned evacuation of over 11,000 sailors and more than 600 ships trapped in the Gulf. IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez said, "The ship did not transit under IMO's evacuation framework. As soon as I get further confirmations that vessels would not be targeted, we're ready to re-initiate the process of evacuation" [1, 2, 4].
On June 26, 2026, the US military launched retaliatory air strikes targeting Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar installations near Sirik in southern Iran. US Central Command said, "The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. Our strikes are a powerful response to yesterday's attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz" [3, 10, 11]. Iranian media acknowledged an explosion near Sirik and stated that warning shots and missiles had been fired at vessels violating Strait of Hormuz regulations hours before the attack [3].
A technical glitch caused a missile warning alert in Dubai on June 26, heightening regional tensions after the attacks and US retaliation [7, 8]. UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone call with Iran's foreign minister emphasizing "the importance of full commitment to the interim deal between Iran and the US. Serious diplomacy and responsible dialogue are the optimal path for addressing all regional and international crises" [7].
