Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday announced the creation of a dedicated task force to develop technical mechanisms aimed at safeguarding humanitarian flows through the Strait of Hormuz, as the Iran war threatens global trade routes.
The move comes amid growing concern that disruptions to maritime traffic through the strategic waterway could trigger wider impacts on food security and agricultural production in the coming months.
“This new mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz aims to facilitate fertiliser trade, including the movement of related raw materials,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
“The mechanism’s operationalisation will be done in close consultation with relevant member states with full respect for national sovereignty and established international legal frameworks.”
The task force will be led by Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services, and will include representatives from the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Chamber of Commerce.
"We are standing by to support this lifesaving operation," said Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of UNOPS in a statement on social media.
"It is urgent to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and beyond including in Africa and Asia import-dependent on fertilisers," he added.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the group would prioritise ensuring the delivery of key supplies, particularly fertilisers and agricultural goods.
“The immediate focus is on meeting humanitarian needs, especially fertiliser and agricultural products,” Mr Dujarric told reporters in New York.
He also said the UN chief has been in contact with Iran’s foreign minister and US ambassador Mike Waltz regarding the initiative.
Mr Dujarric added that Mr Guterres has also spoken with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Pakistan, as well as Bahrain’s UN ambassador, though he has not yet held discussions with Israeli officials.
Iran’s support for the initiative as “pretty critical," he said.
Reza Najafi, Tehran's representative to the United Nations in Vienna, says that Iran has agreed to “facilitate the passage of humanitarian shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in response to a UN request”, in a statement carried by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
On Wednesday, Mr Guterres appointed French diplomat Jean Arnault as his personal envoy to lead the UN’s broader diplomatic response to the conflict, including efforts to restore the movement of fertilisers and humanitarian goods.
“The Gulf countries are strong suppliers of raw materials for nitrogen fertilisers. And this is absolutely crucial. We are getting close to the planting season in different parts of the world. Without fertilisers today, we might have hunger tomorrow," Mr Guterres said.
The move mirrors the world body’s involvement early in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when it worked with Turkey to broker the Black Sea grain deal, enabling exports of grain and fertiliser from both Ukraine and Russia.
The arrangement helped stabilise global food markets for a time but eventually fell apart after Moscow said the expected sanctions relief had not been delivered.
