UN urges Iran and US to clear fertiliser route through Strait of Hormuz

A senior United Nations official has called on Iran and the United States to agree within weeks to a UN-backed arrangement for moving fertiliser through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that planting-season delays could worsen food insecurity in parts of Asia and Africa.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, a UN under-secretary-general, said the proposed mechanism could be put into operation within seven to 10 days once both countries approve it. He described agreement within weeks as “absolutely critical”.

Proposed shipping system

The plan would create a UN-staffed coordination centre in Oman to register vessels and help oversee their safe passage through the strategic waterway.

Under the proposal, UN monitors would work with local authorities at Gulf ports to verify cargo loading. Ships would be tracked while in transit, and additional inspections could be carried out if concerns were raised about a vessel or its cargo.

Moreira da Silva said the passage of five vessels a day could maintain fertiliser supplies to countries facing critical shortages. He also said the arrangement could operate alongside negotiations aimed at restoring freedom of navigation through the strait.

“What we are telling them is, while you continue your discussions towards a comprehensive deal, let us work, let us do our job,” he said.

Supply and food-price concerns

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. The disruption has affected international supplies of urea and seaborne sulphur, both important inputs linked to agricultural production.

Before the war, approximately one-third of global urea shipments and nearly one-half of seaborne sulphur passed through the waterway, according to the source report. However, the International Food Policy Research Institute has said fertiliser products made up a “very negligible” share of cargo moving through the strait during the crisis.

Farmers in South Asia are already facing high costs and fertiliser shortages, while farmers in Spain have protested rising production expenses amid elevated oil and fertiliser prices.

Moreira da Silva warned that missing the planting season would reduce agricultural productivity and increase pressure on prices.

“If we miss that planting season, the productivity of agriculture would significantly drop and the impact on prices will significantly increase,” he said.

The Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that fertiliser scarcity could tighten food supplies from late 2026 into 2027, with countries already dealing with climate-related or other crises likely to face greater effects.

Talks remain unresolved

The fertiliser mechanism was drawn up in March, but Iran and the United States had not agreed to it at the time of the report. The two countries have exchanged proposals through intermediaries since a June interim ceasefire collapsed.

Broader efforts to reopen the strait have stalled amid disagreements over Tehran’s conditions and Washington’s insistence that negotiations address Iran’s nuclear programme from the outset.