The USS Makin Island transits the Strait of Hormuz on February 8, 2021. The image recalls the permanent naval presence around this strategic passage, at the heart of the current crisis. Credits: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mackenzie Binion.
The International Maritime Organization suspended, on Thursday June 25, 2026, its evacuation plan in the Strait of Hormuz. Navigation in the strait itself is not suspended. This pause comes after an attack on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. The mechanism was meant to organize the gradual exit of thousands of seafarers and vessels stuck in the Gulf region. It came against a backdrop of tensions between Iran and the United States.
What Triggered The Suspension
The decision does not mean the Strait of Hormuz is closed. It suspends a specific mechanism, led by the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations specialized agency. This framework was to organize the exit of vessels deemed vulnerable or immobilized in the area.
According to the IMO, the ship attacked was not part of the evacuation arrangement. That distinction is central. The incident was enough to interrupt the procedure, but it did not involve a vessel already engaged in the corridor coordinated by the agency.
The UKMTO alert 074-26 places the incident about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit. That area is on the Musandam peninsula of Oman. The cargo ship was reportedly struck on the starboard side by an unidentified projectile. The alert mentions damage to the bridge, with no casualties or environmental impact reported.
The attack is therefore described as near the Strait of Hormuz, but located in the Gulf of Oman. For maritime safety, that nuance matters. The strait forms the narrow passage between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. The Gulf of Oman is the outlet toward the Arabian Sea.
A Humanitarian Plan Under Tight Control
The IMO’s plan targets more than 11,000 seafarers aboard vessels stuck in the region. This is not a military convoy. It is a coordination framework intended to limit the risks of collision, congestion, or exposure to mines.
In its operational FAQ, the IMO asks ships to remain in place and wait to be contacted. Masters must not sail alone into the strait or into a holding area. Movements must be triggered by a mechanism involving the IMO, the UKMTO, the MICA Centre and the coastal states.
Two routes were coordinated before the suspension. The northern route was to pass through Iranian waters. The southern route was to rely on Omani waters, with specific coordination noted in IMO documents. In both cases, the principle was the same: no autonomous movement, and progress in sequences.
Before the pause, initial IMO figures quoted by Libération reported 57 ships already out. About 1,100 seafarers reportedly transited between the evening of June 23 and the morning of June 25. These figures give the scale of the operation, but not its outcome. The IMO says it suspended movements pending reconfirmation of security guarantees.
Why The Strait Of Hormuz Attracts So Much Attention
On a map, the Strait of Hormuz appears as a narrow strip of water between Iran to the north and Oman to the south. In practice, it carries a large share of maritime traffic linked to Gulf hydrocarbons. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, oil flows through Hormuz were significant in 2024. They accounted for about one-fifth of global consumption of oil and petroleum products. The issue therefore goes beyond geography. It touches energy, marine insurance, transport costs and crew safety.
The maritime traffic of the Strait of Hormuz is not declared suspended by the IMO. What is suspended is the organized evacuation of ships already listed in the plan. The distinction prevents two misreadings. A closed strait would imply a general cessation of navigation. A suspended evacuation means only that a withdrawal protocol is judged too risky without additional guarantees.
The stake is also legal and diplomatic. The IMO does not command littoral states. It coordinates, advises and relays maritime safety guidance with the authorities concerned. Guarantees of passage therefore depend on a fragile balance between international agencies, alert centers, masters, shipowners and coastal states.
Attribution Still Sensitive
The author of the attack is not established by the public primary sources consulted. The UKMTO speaks of an unidentified projectile. The IMO does not attribute the incident and mainly specifies the operational consequences: pause of the plan, verification of guarantees, keeping ships on hold.
The Associated Press reports, citing an anonymous U.S. official, that the vessel Ever Lovely was struck by an Iranian drone. That claim should be treated as an American attribution not publicly confirmed by the primary documents available.
Caution remains necessary. Iran, the United States and maritime actors are already contesting control of the narrative around Hormuz. An unattributed attack can become a political argument before being a fully documented fact. For the seafarers affected, the immediate effect is more concrete. The wait is extended, instructions are tightened and resumption depends on security the IMO says must be reconfirmed.
What Is Known, And What Remains Pending
At this stage, four points are established. The attack was reported on June 25, 2026 in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel hit was not included in the evacuation mechanism, according to the IMO. The plan concerned more than 11,000 seafarers in the Gulf region. Ships must remain in place and wait to be contacted.
The rest requires updates. Public identification of the ship remains to be monitored. Attribution of the attack, the timeline for resumption and the evolution of maritime traffic also remain. In an area where a few nautical miles can have global economic effects, the suspension of the evacuation underscores a reality. Freedom of navigation depends as much on sea routes as on the political guarantees that make them practicable.
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