U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of carrying out a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a "reckless violation" of the ceasefire agreement with the United States. This was reported by AP, writes UNN.
Details
According to Trump, one drone damaged the ship's upper deck, but the vessel was able to continue moving. He also stated that U.S. military forces shot down three more drones that were targeting the ship.
In his social media post, Trump did not name the ship or specify the time of the attack. Meanwhile, on Thursday, British military officials reported that a ship was struck by a projectile off the coast of Oman.
The incident occurred during a fragile truce between the U.S. and Iran, who are negotiating the final end of the war. Iran has recently been increasingly challenging the region and the U.S. over control of the Strait of Hormuz, even despite a temporary agreement reached with the United States last week.
The attack on the cargo ship came as the UN Maritime Organization began an operation to evacuate vessels that remained blocked in the strait, using an alternative route along the coast of Oman instead of the central part of the strait.
After the attack, the International Maritime Organization suspended the evacuation of vessels and on Friday stated that it would not resume it until safety guarantees for other ships are provided.
According to the organization's Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, about 115 vessels have been evacuated from the strait in recent days, but approximately 500 still remain in the area.
The opening of an alternative route through the strait was intended to reduce pressure on the global economy and deprive Iran of one of its main leverage points in negotiations with the U.S.
The U.S. and Iran continue to negotiate the terms of a future agreement, including the passage of ships through the strategically important strait and the future fate of Iran's stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. According to the interim agreement, the parties have 60 days to finalize the details.
The attack on the ship tested shipping
Shipping industry analysts said the drone attack jeopardized the recovery of maritime transport, as more ships began leaving the Persian Gulf and the flow of oil tankers gradually increased.
"The week of growing confidence among commercial carriers in the Strait of Hormuz has passed its first serious test," said Windward, a company specializing in maritime data.
According to its information, although the strait remains open for navigation and 43 ship passages were recorded after the incident, "the pace of normalization has slowed."
On Wednesday, before Thursday's attack, 78 ships passed through the strait — the highest number since the start of the war, though still below the pre-war average of over 130 passages per day.
According to Lloyd's List Intelligence, at least two tankers changed course while traveling along the UN-supported route near Oman after Iran insisted on using only Tehran-approved routes.
Missile threat warning in Dubai
Earlier on Friday, a missile threat warning was sent out in the United Arab Emirates due to a technical glitch, further highlighting the tense situation in the region following the attack on the cargo ship and Israeli strikes on Lebanon in recent days.
The notification on mobile phones alarmed many Dubai residents. It was the first such message since the temporary truce was introduced.
Shortly after, the UAE authorities reported a phone call between Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
It was noted that Sheikh Abdullah emphasized to his Iranian counterpart that the UAE "stresses the importance of full compliance" with the interim agreement between Iran and the U.S.
"Serious diplomacy and responsible dialogue are the best way to resolve all regional and international crises," the statement said.