IMO Suspends Evacuation of Ships from Persian Gulf After the War

Commercial cargo ships and crude oil tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman, off Muscat, Oman, on June 21, 2026, as they prepare to cross the vital Strait of Hormuz. (Antara - Shady Alassar - Anadolu Agency - pri)

JAKARTA - The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) said it had suspended the evacuation of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, following the shooting of a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman.

"Following the attack on a ship in the Gulf of Oman, IMO has decided to temporarily suspend evacuation operations pending further clarity," the organization said in a statement on Thursday.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stressed that the ship crossed the Strait of Hormuz independently outside the evacuation scheme.

IMO on Tuesday began evacuating more than 11 thousand sailors from the Persian Gulf. On Wednesday and Thursday, several ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the plan.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Agency (UKMTO) reported that a cargo ship had been bombed off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz.

UKMTO received a report of an unidentified projectile hitting the starboard side of the cargo ship, causing damage to the platform, in the 7.5 mile maritime area southeast of Dahit City, Oman. The captain of the ship reported no casualties.

On the night before June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum remotely which guaranteed the end of the military conflict that began on February 28.

The document, as reported by Sputnik, also sets a deadline for the US to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, and for Iran to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.