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The offshore supply vessel "Zakher Duty" sits moored at the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 6th (local time). / Courtesy of Reuters Yonhap

Iran has reportedly attacked a civilian cargo ship just a week after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United States to end hostilities and re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 25th (local time), citing two senior U.S. government officials, that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked the Singapore-flagged container ship 'Ever Lovely' earlier that day.

The vessel attempted to transit the strait this morning along with three other merchant ships. While navigating the waters, a kamikaze drone dispatched by the IRGC slammed directly into the ship without any prior radio warnings or halt orders from the Iranian side.

A senior U.S. government official stated, "A one-way attack drone moved toward the west side of the vessel before colliding," adding, "This indicates that the attack was intentional."

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated that the ship's bridge was damaged, but no casualties were reported.

Earlier this morning, the IRGC had announced that safe passage would only be guaranteed when transiting through routes designated by Iran, warning of a response if compliance was not met.

Following the attack on the vessel, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that it has tentatively suspended its plan to evacuate ships and crew members from the Strait of Hormuz, which was just unveiled on the 24th.

Previously, the IMO announced that it had launched an operation to safely extract hundreds of vessels and 11,000 crew members from the Strait of Hormuz, with Oman providing a temporary transit route for the mission.

The White House stated, "We are aware of this report and are investigating," adding, "U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear that Iran cannot obstruct the freedom of navigation within the strait."

Meanwhile, this attack was carried out just hours after the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) issued a statement. The PGSA is an entity established by the Iranian government to manage transit through the strait, including the collection of tolls on passing vessels.

The PGSA had warned on X (formerly Twitter), "Passage through routes outside our designated zones is not guaranteed safe and will not be eligible for insurance coverage or compensation."

                                                                                                           Park Jin-sook