Trump accuses Iran of Hormuz ceasefire breach
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- Trump accused Iran of a "foolish violation" of their ceasefire after a cargo ship was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, with no casualties reported.
- Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran fired at least four drones at traversing ships; the US "knocked down" three, but one hit the upper deck of a "large and very expensive" vessel that sustained limited damage and continued transit.
- The Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged ship owned by Evergreen, was struck 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's port of Dahit while following UKMTO's recommended route, according to the British maritime security agency.
- The International Maritime Organization paused its planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the shipping lane, with IMO chief Dominguez working with the US, Iran, and Oman to obtain guarantees vessels won't be targeted before resuming.
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had warned that the IMO-designated route was "unacceptable and completely dangerous" and that vessels must coordinate with Iran, while state media reported fresh IRGC assertions that the strait is Iran's territory.
- The US-Iran ceasefire rests on a 14-point memorandum requiring Iran to ensure safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days — a framework Tehran has already contradicted by announcing plans to charge "maritime service fees" for crossing the strait.
- The IMO said 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers had crossed the strait before the evacuation pause, and clarified the struck ship "did not transit under IMO's evacuation framework."
Why it matters: The ceasefire's central promise — 60 days of free safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz — is already fractured days after taking effect: Tehran plans to charge fees, the IRGC is asserting the waterway is Iranian territory, and a ship has been hit on a route the US helped designate. With the IMO's evacuation of 11,000 stranded sailors now paused, the shipping chokepoint that spiked global oil prices during Iran's earlier closure remains functionally unstable despite the truce.
