Iran has hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz after warning it would not allow vessels to leave the Persian Gulf without its permission.
According to American and British sources, the attack was carried out by a drone. It ended the International Maritime Organization's campaign to evacuate ships that are blocked in the Gulf. The attack also refuted US President Donald Trump's claims that the Strait of Hormuz is open and can be used freely.
The US and Iran have not yet reached an agreement
Although British maritime authorities confirmed that there were no casualties or severe environmental effects from the attack, fuel prices on international markets immediately rose. Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured US allies in the Middle East that Washington would guarantee safe passage through the strait. He met with the foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf countries in Bahrain.
The military conflict between the US and Iran is frozen, with the two countries having to reach a lasting peace agreement within 60 days. Tehran and Washington continue to exchange threats, and clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon continue. Iran insists that the Israeli army must leave the territory of southern Lebanon in order to achieve lasting peace, but Prime Minister Netanyahu said that as long as he is in power, he will not allow it.
"Unacceptable and dangerous"
The ship, which was hit by the Iranian attacks, was moving along a route in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, near the coast of Oman. The central corridor, which previously carried about 20 percent of the world's oil and gas trade, remains closed.
Dozens of ships have managed to leave the Persian Gulf in the past week. According to S&P, 78 vessels passed through on Wednesday, more than half the usual daily traffic of 130 before the war. However, Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned against using the new route because it was established without the Islamic Republic being informed, which the Guards said was "unacceptable and dangerous."