The United Nations' International Maritime Organization paused the evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz after a cargo ship was struck by an unknown projectile southeast of Oman's port of Dahit, with no casualties reported. The evacuation, announced on Tuesday, had been organized to move vessels that had been unable to transit the strait since the waterway was closed in February following heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. The British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that the Ever Lovely, a Singapore‑flagged vessel, was hit while transiting a southern route identified by the IMO on Thursday, data from MarineTraffic reviewed by BBC Verify showed. The ship continued through the strait, leading a flotilla of four additional vessels, and seafarers said no warning was issued by the Iranian navy on radio. IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez stated that the attacked vessel did not operate under the organization’s evacuation framework and that the pause was intended to maintain safety and coordination until further clarity was obtained. He added that the evacuation plan would remain suspended until the situation was clearer. The incident underscores ongoing disputes over navigation rights in the strait, where Iran has indicated it may impose service fees for transits, a policy opposed by the United States, which characterizes the waterway as an international route. Oil prices, which had fallen after a US‑Iran memorandum set a 60‑day negotiation period, edged higher to $73.23 per barrel on Thursday.