UN pauses Strait of Hormuz evacuation effort

The United Nations’ shipping agency on Thursday said it would pause an evacuation effort ​to get hundreds of stranded ships out through the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel was attacked ​in the Gulf of Oman, NBC News reported.

“I have ​been informed of an attack today ⁠in the Gulf of Oman on ​a vessel which passed through the Strait ​of Hormuz,” Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the ​U.N.’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), said in ​a statement.

The vessel “did not transit” under the evacuation framework set by the body, he said, adding: “I have decided to temporarily pause its implementation ‌in ⁠order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list ​and all ​those ⁠in the region.”

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, an organization run by the British navy that helps protect commercial shipping in high-risk areas, said earlier Thursday that a cargo vessel off Oman had been hit by an “unknown projectile,” causing damage to its bridge. No casualties were reported, and the ship was not identified.

Vessels had earlier continued to pass along the United Nations-recommended route, but Iran warned Thursday that any ship not following its own approved route, close to the Iranian coastline, “will be dealt with accordingly.”

The Revolutionary Guard Navy warned that transit otherwise is “highly dangerous and prohibited,” appearing to condemn the route set out by the IMO.

“A few hours ago, without prior notice or coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, certain authorities announced a new route for vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” it said. It warned that “any violating vessels will be dealt with accordingly,” without elaborating.