Symbolic imageUN warns of food crisis if Hormuz fertiliser plan stays stalled
A UN official warned on Wednesday that parts of Asia and Africa could face a food crisis unless Iran and the US agree within weeks on moving fertiliser through Hormuz.
UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva told Reuters in Bangkok, at the IMF and World Bank meetings, that a deal is "absolutely critical" within weeks because planting season is near. His plan, drawn up in March, would set up a UN-staffed coordination centre in Oman to register vessels and oversee their passage. It could start within seven to 10 days of both sides agreeing. Missing the season would significantly cut agricultural productivity and raise prices, he said.
Supply already squeezed
Before the war, roughly a third of global urea shipments and nearly half of seaborne sulphur passed through the strait. The International Food Policy Research Institute says fertiliser is a "very negligible" share of the cargo now moving, and the FAO warned in May that scarcity could tighten food supplies from late 2026 into 2027.
Talks remain stuck
Iran and the US have exchanged proposals through intermediaries since a June interim ceasefire collapsed. Efforts stall over Tehran's conditions and Washington's insistence on addressing Iran's nuclear programme from the outset. Moreira da Silva said the UN mechanism could run alongside those talks and that five ships a day would be enough.
Attacks on shipping surge
A container ship has sunk near Hormuz as Iranian attacks on shipping surge.