Just days after launching a mission to evacuate tens of thousands of stranded crew members from the Strait of Hormuz, the United Nations (UN) has announced a temporary suspension of the operation. The decision comes after a commercial cargo ship was attacked in this critical, strategic waterway, an incident the United States directly blamed on Iran.

Asian Dot

UN Suspends Hormuz Crew Evacuation After Ever Lovely Ship Attack

On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched a large-scale operation to evacuate tens of thousands of crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, collaborating with Iran, Oman, the United States, and all other coastal states in the region.

However, on Friday, the IMO announced the suspension of the operation after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel named Ever Lovely was struck by an "unidentified projectile" 14 kilometers southeast of Oman’s Dahit port. Fortunately, there were no reports of casualties or fatalities, and the ship was able to continue its journey.

Asian Dot

UN Suspends Hormuz Crew Evacuation After Ever Lovely Ship Attack

Note from the IMO: IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez clarified that the Ever Lovely was not operating under the IMO's evacuation framework, noting that it entered the Strait of Hormuz via the southern route and exited to the east.

Although the United States directly accused Iran of being behind the attack, Tehran has yet to deny or confirm the allegations.

As a reminder, approximately 11,000 crew members have been stranded aboard hundreds of commercial ships and oil tankers for months. This situation arose after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in February 2026 following the outbreak of war in the region.