US President Donald Trump condemned what he called a 'foolish' violation of the ceasefire by Iran after a drone struck a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump did not name the vessel, but British military confirmed a ship was hit off the coast of Oman on Thursday.
The vessel, identified as the Ever Lovely (Singapore-flagged, owned by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine), had been stranded in the Arabian Gulf for more than 100 days after loading cargo in Iraq. No crew members were injured, and the ship continued its journey. US forces intercepted three other drones in the same coordinated attack.
Trump wrote: 'A drone smashed directly into the upper deck of a large and very expensive cargo vessel. Damage was done, but the ship was able to proceed. It is clearly a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement.'
Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but two unnamed US officials told Reuters on Thursday that Iran had targeted the ship. The incident comes at a sensitive time as the US and Iran are negotiating a temporary peace agreement. The two sides signed a 60-day memorandum of understanding, pledging to lift the naval blockade and open the Strait of Hormuz for free movement while they negotiate a long-term deal on Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions.
The Ever Lovely had chosen a southern route along the Omani coast rather than the corridor designated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Hours before the attack, the IRGC issued instructions requiring commercial vessels to coordinate directly with Iran's navy. The incident immediately stalled efforts by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to escort hundreds of stranded ships out of the Arabian Gulf, where more than 11,000 sailors have been stuck for months.
Iran had previously expressed outrage over what it called 'interventionist, irresponsible and provocative' statements by the US and six Gulf states, which rejected Iran's claim that it could charge fees for vessels passing through the strait. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X on Friday that 'safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed without taking into account Iran's role as a coastal state.' The IRGC also dismissed US allegations that there had been direct communication between Tehran and Washington over the strait issue.
Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, noted that Trump's response came many hours after the attack, unusual compared with his previous reactions. 'It was also a relatively mild message by Trump standards. Usually there would have been more anger, but it was also a strong warning about the risk of violating the ceasefire.'
