Iranian drone strikes Singaporean cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz

A Singaporean-flagged cargo ship was struck by an Iranian drone Thursday while navigating a U.N. International Maritime Organization safe route along the coast of Oman. The vessel is one of 500 to 600 commercial ships still inside the Persian Gulf. The attack followed a memorandum of understanding signed last week by Iran and the U.S. that was meant to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The ship was part of an operation to evacuate more than 11,000 stranded seafarers.

Regional response Gulf Cooperation Council members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement saying any final peace agreement must address Iran’s ballistic missiles, drones, and support for regional proxies.

The ministers added that trade and investment with Iran would remain conditional on compliance with the memorandum and a cessation of destabilizing activity. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, concluding a three-day regional trip, told reporters in Bahrain that the U.S. would ensure agreements do not run counter to the interests of Gulf allies.

Iranian officials Before the strike, Rubio dismissed Iranian statements as “maximalist rhetoric” aimed at a domestic audience and said the U.S. focus remained on whether ships were moving. President Trump stated at a public event that a historic agreement had been signed, the strait fully opened, and that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon.