WASHINGTON — Iran’s military struck a Singaporean-flagged cargo ship with a projectile on Thursday after the vessel attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz.The targeted ship was hit on its starboard side 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman, by an unknown projectile, the United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Organization stated. The ship’s crew did not report any injuries onboard but noted damage to the bridge, the UKMTO reported. Following the attack, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) shipping agency said it was pausing its effort to guide stranded vessels through the strait, which kicked off Tuesday.The attacked vessel “did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework," the UN agency’s Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement. Dominguez called the pause “temporary” and said it would allow the body “to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place” for ships seeking evacuation.Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which has announced updates on the status of the Strait of Hormuz since Iran shut down traffic via the waterway in March with ballistic missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels, issued a statement following the attack that read, “Any passage through routes outside the framework designated by the PGSA will not be covered by safe passage guarantees."It was not clear what route the vessel took when it came under attack. The UN-designated routes include one that hugs the coast of Iran and another that hugs Oman’s coastline.The strike on the cargo ship is the first reported since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding entailing a 60-day ceasefire extension last week, as both sides took steps to alleviate their respective blockades around Hormuz.The incident comes just a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Bahrain — home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet — ahead of a GCC ministers’ meeting on Thursday. "The Ministers also emphasized the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, noting that free, unconditional and unrestricted navigation, including the right of transit passage as guaranteed under international law, remains essential to regional and global security," a joint statement following the meeting read. "The ministers rejected any tolls, fees or attempts to assert control over the strait and welcomed the Sultanate of Oman and the International Maritime Organization’s announcement on the launch of an evacuation plan for over 11,000 seafarers stranded in the region," the statement read.The Pentagon’s top commander for the Middle East, Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, was also expected in the region on Thursday.Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that none of the US-aligned Arab states in the Gulf want to see Iran remain in control long term of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s daily oil supply transits.