World · South & Central Asia · 3 hrs ago
UN warns Hormuz fertilizer plan deal is needed to avert food crisis
A UN official warned that delays to a fertilizer plan could deepen food insecurity in parts of Asia and Africa.
The plan is meant to move fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route between the Gulf and the open sea.
The UN drew up a system to coordinate safe passage, but it has not started operating.
Fertilizer shipments from the Gulf have largely stopped during the conflict, and the planting season could be missed if the disruption continues.
A UN official said the plan could begin within 7 to 10 days of a US-Iran agreement.
It would register ships through a coordination centre in Oman, with monitors checking cargo and tracking vessels.
The official said five ships a day could keep supplies flowing to countries in urgent need, while a separate estimate warned prolonged disruption could sharply raise prices for food commodities.
A United Nations official warned that failure by the United States and Iran to agree within weeks on a plan to move fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz could cause a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa.
The UN plan, drawn up by a taskforce established in March, has not yet been implemented.
Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva said the mechanism could be activated within 7-10 days of an agreement.
The proposed operation would coordinate safe passage through a centre in Oman, with five vessels a day potentially keeping fertilizer supplies flowing.
The warning comes as fertilizer shipments from the Gulf region remain largely halted and other maritime chokepoints face disruption.
- Who
- The United States and Iran are being urged to agree to the plan. UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva oversees the proposed scheme.
- What
- The UN says a failure to agree on a plan to move fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz could lead to a food security crisis.
- When
- An agreement is needed within the next few weeks, before the planting season is missed.
- Where
- The plan concerns the Strait of Hormuz and could affect parts of Asia and Africa. Its proposed coordination centre would be in Oman.
- Why
- Fertilizer shipments from the Gulf region have largely halted, threatening planting and agricultural productivity.
United States
Iran
Conditions for reopening Hormuz
United States
Washington insists on addressing Iran's nuclear programme from the outset.
Iran
Tehran has set conditions for reopening the strait; the article does not specify them.
The United States and Israel carried out strikes, after which Iran sought to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
The United Nations set up a taskforce to facilitate fertilizer passage through the strait.
During a ceasefire, fertilizer products made up a very negligible share of the resumption of some shipping.
Moreira da Silva warned that a deal was needed within weeks to avoid missing the planting season.
- UN taskforce
- Established in March
- Activation time
- 7-10 days after an agreement
- Proposed coordination centre
- Oman
- Proposed daily vessel passage
- Five vessels
- Pre-war urea trade through Hormuz
- Roughly one-third of globally traded urea
What people are saying
It's absolutely crucial to get the deal in the next few weeks. Otherwise, we will miss the planting season.
What we are telling them is, while you continue your discussions towards a comprehensive deal, let us work, let us do our job
If we miss that planting season, the productivity of agriculture would significantly drop and the impact on prices will significantly increase