Taiwan's Evergreen Marine reported Friday that its Singapore-flagged vessel, the Ever Lovely, was struck by an unknown object near Oman.

The ship was traveling along a route recommended by the British navy agency UKMTO. While a security source stated the ship was likely targeted by a drone, two U.S. officials explicitly blamed Iran for the attack.

The strike caused damage to the vessel's bridge windows on the starboard side. In a stock exchange statement, Evergreen reassured markets, stating, "The crew, vessel and cargo are all safe," and added, "The vessel has safely departed the Strait of Hormuz."

The incident followed a warning from Tehran against ships using unapproved routes. Defending its stance, Iran's shipping authority warned that ships are only safe if they stick to approved routes.

The authority stated, "Consequences arising from passage through unauthorized routes shall be the responsibility of the owner, operator, and vessel commander,"

The shipping halt disrupts a vital U.N. rescue operation.

The IMO had just launched a voluntary initiative on Tuesday to evacuate hundreds of ships and thousands of seafarers stranded since the war erupted on February 28. The evacuation plan utilized two routes through Iranian and Omani waters under U.S. oversight.

IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez announced the suspension, noting the agency decided "to temporarily pause its implementation in order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region,"

The IMO clarified that the attacked Evergreen ship was not part of its official evacuation list.

The attack puts the spotlight back on Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz. This vital shipping route handles 20 percent of the world's oil and gas, and Iran’s takeover has deeply disrupted global energy markets.

Prior to the attack, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that if Iran blocked or threatened shipping, "then we're going to have a problem."

U.S. President Donald Trump previously threatened to resume bombing Iran if Tehran failed to honor the peace framework.