UN Official Urges Swift Iran-US Deal to Avert Asian and African Food Crisis Amid Hormuz Standoff

A senior United Nations official has issued a stark warning: parts of Asia and Africa could face a severe food security crisis if Iran and the United States do not rapidly reach an agreement on a UN-backed plan to facilitate fertilizer shipments through the volatile Strait of Hormuz. UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva emphasized on Wednesday that an accord between the two nations is "absolutely critical" within the coming weeks as the crucial planting season approaches. The proposed plan involves establishing a UN-staffed coordination center in Oman to manage vessel registration and ensure safe passage through the vital waterway, a traditional route for a significant portion of global fertilizer inputs.

"If we miss that planting season, the productivity of agriculture would significantly drop and the impact on prices will significantly increase," Moreira da Silva stated in Bangkok, Thailand, on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings. He highlighted that farmers adhere to strict crop calendars, and even minor delays can have a substantial impact on agricultural yields.

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted since the commencement of the US-Israel war on Iran, leading to Iranian targeting of vessels and reciprocal exchanges of fire between the US and Iran in and around the waterway. This disruption has adversely affected global supplies of urea, the world's most prevalent nitrogen fertilizer, and seaborne sulphur, another key agricultural input. Prior to the conflict, approximately one-third of global urea shipments and nearly half of seaborne sulphur transited through the strait. While some vessels have managed to navigate the strait amidst the crisis, the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington reports that fertilizer products constitute a "very negligible" portion of the cargo currently moving through.

Moreira da Silva explained that the UN-backed fertilizer mechanism, developed in March, could be operational within seven to ten days, contingent on agreement from both Iran and the US. The plan includes UN monitors working with local authorities at Gulf ports to verify cargo loading, with ships being tracked during transit and subject to additional inspections if concerns are raised by any nation regarding a vessel or its contents. The Under-Secretary-General did not specify the reasons for the current lack of agreement between the US and Iran. He noted that facilitating the passage of just five vessels per day through the Strait of Hormuz could ensure the flow of fertilizer supplies to nations in dire need.

The UN mechanism, Moreira da Silva suggested, could operate in parallel with negotiations for a "comprehensive deal" aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait. Iran and the US have been exchanging proposals through intermediaries since a ceasefire agreement collapsed in June. Sticking points in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz reportedly include Tehran's conditions and Washington's demand to address Iran's nuclear program from the outset. "What we are telling them is, while you continue your discussions towards a comprehensive deal, let us work, let us do our job," Moreira da Silva urged.

This plea comes amid escalating concerns that fertilizer shortages could significantly impact global food supplies. In May, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization cautioned that fertilizer scarcity might tighten food supplies from late 2026 into 2027, disproportionately affecting countries already grappling with climate or other crises. In South Asia, where agricultural reliance on imported fertilizer is high, farmers are already contending with soaring costs and fertilizer shortages. Demonstrations by farmers in Spain on Wednesday highlighted protests against rising production costs driven by high oil and fertilizer prices.