While the blockage at this critical global energy trade artery is slowly clearing, the Strait of Hormuz remains a powder keg, ready to spark at any moment.
HA Viewpoint: According to reports from CCTV News, several senior US officials have revealed that Washington and Tehran have agreed to stop attacking each other. They plan to hold meetings in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on June 30 to resolve their disputes regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, technical talks continue, and the Strait remains open for the “free passage of ships.”
However, as of now, neither the US nor Iran, nor the mediators Pakistan and Qatar, have made any official statements confirming these details.
The recent flare-up between Washington and Tehran stemmed from an attack on a commercial vessel. Around 10:10 PM on June 25, the Ever Lovely, a container ship under Evergreen Marine flying the Singapore flag, was struck by an unidentified projectile in waters near Oman.
Typically, Evergreen ships carry standard containerized civilian cargo, including electromechanical products, daily consumer goods, and industrial parts, representing routine cross-regional trade.
It is reported that the vessel had been滞留 (stranded/detained) in the Persian Gulf region for over 100 days prior to the incident. At the time of the attack, it was sailing from the Port of Umm Qasir in Iraq to Singapore. The impact damaged the ship’s bridge, but there were no casualties, nor did it cause any marine environmental pollution.
Organizations like the UK Maritime Trade Operations and various maritime security agencies speculated that the ship was attacked by drones, but they did not identify the attacker. Some reports suggested that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked the ship because it used a southern route not authorized by the IRGC, but this claim has not been confirmed by Iranian authorities.
On June 26, following the attack on the merchant vessel, the US military struck Iranian military surveillance facilities, communication systems, air defense positions, drone storage sites, and mine-laying equipment. The following day, at 4:30 AM, the Iranian military launched another one-way attack drone, hitting an oil tanker flying the Panamanian flag, which was carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil.
Simultaneously, the IRGC Navy and Air Force used missiles and drones to destroy eight key US military facilities, including the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and key infrastructure of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
In a statement, the IRGC Navy Command said that the warning shots fired at “violating” vessels were intended to remind other ships to stick to clearly designated channels. They warned that US military bases in the Middle East would experience “hellish” conditions in the coming days.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office reposted an announcement from the Joint Maritime Information Center, upgrading the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz from “moderate” to “high.”
Due to the renewed conflict between the US and Iran, technical negotiations originally scheduled to resume in Switzerland on June 28 have stalled, with Iranian representatives absent.
Iran insists that all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz must coordinate with the IRGC. They have also proposed recommended routes: the safest route for ships entering the Persian Gulf is south of Iran’s Hormuz Island, while ships leaving the gulf should use the channel south of Iran’s Larak Island.
Currently, the Strait of Hormuz has effectively formed a “dual-channel parallel” mode, controlled separately by Oman and Iran. Both countries have previously signaled plans to advance agreements for joint regulation of shipping in the strait.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Araghchi, who is visiting Iraq, stated on June 28 that managing and fully restoring traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is Iran’s sole responsibility, and no other country or institution bears this duty.
Both Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the text of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (Iran-US MoU) was officially signed in Switzerland on June 19. The early signing was aimed at opening the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.
Key contents of the memorandum also include an immediate and permanent cessation of military actions on all fronts, including Lebanon, and a commitment not to wage any war or military actions against each other in the future, nor to use or threaten to use force.
Following this, the first round of talks between the US and Iran began in a tense atmosphere. A spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously revealed that the negotiations discussed the groundwork for launching final agreement talks.
