Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a drone attack on the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely on June 25, 2026, near the Omani coast in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack used at least one one-way drone that struck the ship's starboard superstructure and bridge, damaging the vessel without causing injuries to the crew or loss of cargo [1, 2, 3, 4].
Ever Lovely, operated by Evergreen Marine Asia Pte Ltd of Taiwan, had been stranded in the Persian Gulf for over 100 days after loading cargo at Iraq's Umm Qasr port. On June 25, it led a group of four ships attempting to pass through the strait [2, 4, 5].
The attack took place in waters Iran claims under its control, where Tehran requires ships to coordinate passage with the Iranian navy and use Iranian-authorized shipping lanes. Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned vessels not following these routes would lose safety guarantees and insurance coverage, placing responsibility on ship owners and captains [1, 4, 5, 6].
The UK Maritime Trade Operations office confirmed the ship was hit by an unknown projectile that damaged the bridge but resulted in no injuries [1, 6]. US officials described the strike as deliberate and involving multiple drones, shooting down some while one hit Ever Lovely [3, 4].
Following the attack, the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) suspended its operation to evacuate crews stranded on vessels in the Persian Gulf. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez explained the suspension was to confirm the safety of ships on the evacuation list and other vessels in the area, noting the attacked vessel had not been sailing under IMO evacuation protocols [1, 7, 4].
Evergreen Marine Asia reported that the ship and cargo were safe, and all engines and navigation systems were working normally. The ship was declared seaworthy and has safely exited the Strait of Hormuz [8, 9]. Despite the incident, limited shipping continued through the strait on IMO-designated routes coordinated by Oman and US authorities [10].
US President Donald Trump publicly blamed Iran for violating a recent preliminary US-Iran ceasefire agreement by carrying out the attack [1, 11, 3]. On June 26, the US military launched airstrikes targeting Iranian missile, drone storage, and coastal radar facilities in response [7, 11, 3].
US Senator Marco Rubio condemned the attack, stating, "国际水道不属于任何国家。这是当今世界的一项基本原则，如果不是这样，世界将陷入彻底混乱。" (International waterways belong to no country. This is a fundamental principle of today’s world; otherwise, the world would fall into total chaos.) [1].
The next scheduled developments include continued monitoring and assessments of shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz, with the IMO evacuation operation paused until further notice [7, 4]. The Ever Lovely’s status remains intact as it proceeds from the area [8].
