ALBAWABA - The head of a UN task force warned that continued restrictions on fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a "massive humanitarian crisis" within weeks, in an interview with AFP on Monday.
"We have just a few weeks to avert what is likely to be a massive humanitarian crisis," Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the task force on ensuring the safe passage of fertilizers, told AFP.
"We could see a crisis that forces an additional 45 million people to face famine," he added.
Following the start of the US-Israeli war on February 28, Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of the world's fertilizer exports typically pass. Exports passing through this strategic waterway for global maritime trade are generally destined for Brazil, China, India, and Africa.
In March, UN Secretary-General António Guterres established a task force, chaired by Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), to develop a mechanism for the transit of fertilizers and related raw materials, such as ammonia, sulfur, and urea.
The UN official says he has met with representatives from more than 100 countries to garner support, particularly from UN member states, for this mechanism. However, the parties involved in the conflict—the United States, Iran, and the Gulf states—remain unconvinced.
