Overview
- A cargo ship identified by multiple outlets as the Ever Lovely was struck by a drone or other projectile, which UKMTO and U.S. officials said damaged the bridge but caused no fatalities on Thursday.
- Following that strike, CENTCOM said U.S. aircraft attacked Iranian storage sites for drones and missiles and coastal radar positions on Friday in a retaliatory operation.
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it struck U.S. positions in response and Bahraini officials reported drone activity Saturday, while U.S. forces have not publicly confirmed all Iranian claims.
- The International Maritime Organization paused a planned evacuation of thousands of mariners and the Joint Maritime Information Center raised the threat level to ‘substantial,’ with UKMTO also reporting a separate tanker hit by an unidentified projectile.
- The Strait of Hormuz carries about a fifth of global traded oil, so the clashes threaten energy markets, shipping routes and the fragile diplomatic process that aimed to restore safe passage under a 14‑point memorandum.